Time After Time
by Neo Namco
Summary: Taken after the movie 'The Butterfly Effect' Ash discovers a way to to travel back in time and alter the events in his past. But you change one thing...you change everything. AAML.
1. Past Is Past for now

**Time After Time**

**Chapter One: Past Is Past**

_What if you could change time? That's what this story is about. Ash Ketchum is struggling to get over disturbing memories from his childhood. He discovers that he is able to travel back in time and alter events in his past. However, every change he makes transforms his life and that of those around him, often to unexpected and disastrous consequences. Change one thing…change everything._

_(This is similar to the movie The Butterfly Effect. So you will see many similarities if you've seen that movie. If not, then see it some time. In fact I took The Butterfly Effect's story, so it's not original. But I definitely changed it to fit with Ash's life. I don't know if I even use the same lines as that movie…) _

A young boy sits at the kitchen table of his house, writing in his journal. This boy is Ash Ketchum. 'Today is my 5th birthday and I'm having my party at the beach. Misty and her family are gonna be there. Misty is so pretty. When I grow up I'm going to marry her.' Ash finished his entry.

"Ash! Go get washed up! It's about time to leave!" Ash heard his mother, Delia shout. "Ok, Mommy." Ash ran out of the kitchen and into the bathroom.

Delia came into the kitchen and went into the fridge to get something to drink. When she returned with a Diet Coke, she noticed her son's journal on the table. "It wouldn't hurt to see what he's written." she said, and took a seat at where Ash had been sitting moments earlier.

She read his latest entry and was very surprised at how well he was able to write, giving his young age. "Ok Mommy, I've washed up." Ash was back in the kitchen, showing his clean hands for proof.

"Ashton, you're gonna do really well in life." Delia told her son. "Huh?" Ash was confused. "I read your journal. You're only five and you can write journal entries." she praised her song.

But she noticed the face Ash expressed. It wasn't a too thrilled expression. "I'm sorry." she apologized to him. "Mommy!" Ash yelled at her. "I'm sorry. Now go get ready." Delia told him. Ash angrily stormed off to his bedroom.

Ash and his mother had arrived at Cerulean Beach, where Ash's party would be hosted. Our little hero now walked along the beach beside his seven year old friend, Misty Waterflower. They are joined by Misty's older cousin at age 12, Starn who walks behind them for security(they are only 5 and 7 and need to be protected from the ocean).

The two kids were silent as they walk alongside the ocean in the sand. "What do you want for your birthday, Ashton?" Misty broke the silence. Little Ash Ketchum had to think about it for a second.

"…I don't know. I just want something special." he finally responded. Misty stopped in her tracks just then, and leaned down and reached into the sand. When she came back up, she had a seashell mixed with the colors blue, brown, and pink.

"Here you go. Hope it's special." Misty said, as she handed Ash the shell. Ash looked into her eyes, and then took it from her. The next thing he knew, her lips were pressed against his cheeks.

She soon separated and ran off towards the adults, and where the party would be starting. Ash examined his gift for a short time, and then stuffed it into his pocket. Then he ran after Misty. Starn soon followed him.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Ashton. Happy birthday to you." everyone sang to Ash as he sat at a table on the beach. Everyone clapped as they finished. At his party was his mother and father, and Misty's family, that included her three sisters, her cousin, and her mother and father.

"Make a wish, Son." Ash's father told him. Ash closed his eyes and thought about it. It didn't take long before he reopened his eyes, and blew out the five candles on the cake.

Ash was now opening his presents. He opened a small box, that had a poke'ball inside. "Wow! A poke'ball!" Ash was excited to receive it. He was startled however when a pidgey jumped out of the ball shouting "Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey!" he threw the ball in his shock.

His father was there to catch the ball though. "There you go, Son. You're first poke'mon." his dad joke of the alarm clock he gave his son. Everyone laughed at the joke.

After everyone had eaten, the kids were all in the ocean playing. Ash, Misty, Daisy, Lilly, and Violet were getting on Starn's nerves however, as he was trying to talk to a girl he met. "Stop splashing me!" he yelled to Violet.

Starn turned to see the shocked face of the girl he was talking to, and then he saw the sad face of Violet. "I mean, go on Violet, go play with your sisters." he tried to correct himself.

Then Daisy and Lilly jumped out from behind him "Boo!" they screamed. "Ahh!" Starn was startled. "Err!" he was upset at them. But it was making the girl he was talking to laugh.

"Hey guys, let's head over to those rocks and play." he suggested to the kids. Then they noticed the many large rocks not too far away. "Oh cool! Let's go Misty!" Ash had already taken off towards the rocks.

"Wait for me Ashton!" Misty shouted as she gathered her sisters, and ran after him.

Ash had reached the rocks by now, and was climbing up on top of them. He was about to yell to Misty to hurry up, when he saw a sight below him on the other side of the rocks.

It was his father…kissing another woman. "Daddy?" Ash asked, silently. Then he climbed down from the rocks, the side he climbed up. He watched as Misty and her sisters came running towards him.

Ash sits in his room, writing in his journal yet again. "I had a good birthday today. But I saw daddy kissing another girl that was not mommy. I told mommy about it and she got mad. She's yelling at daddy right now. But the best part of the party was when Misty gave me a pretty seashell and kissed me on the cheek. And my birthday wish was that me and Misty would be together forever." Ash finished his journal entry, and went to sleep.

* * *

**Two years later…**

"Goodbye, Sweetie. I'll see you soon. Be good for Ron." Delia told her son, after giving him a big hug and a kiss. "Ok, Mommy." the seven year old Ash agreed. Ron, is Misty's uncle, and now Delia's boyfriend, since she divorced Ash's father. "We're gonna have a great time." Ron said, and kissed Delia before she left.

Later, Ash, Misty, Daisy, Lilly, and Violet were all playing in the back yard. They were playing tag. Ron watched the kids from a window of the house. He decided it was time to go out and get them. "Come on in kids. We're gonna make a movie." he told them, holding his cam corder. "What kind of a movie?" Ash asked. "A romance movie." Ron smiled.

They were now all in the basement, where the 'movie' would be shot. Ron began telling the plot "Ok Ashton. You will be James Bond. And you have just saved these four girls from the bad guy. Now because our bad guy, who is suppose to be played by Starn isn't here. We'll skip to the part after you save the girls. The part when you have to take turns kissing and being naked with each of them." he told them, making the kids wide-eyed.

"Ok Misty, take off your clothes. Daisy, Lilly, Violet, you too. And of course you Ashton. You're the stud." Ron told them. "But why?" Ash asked. "Because it's part of the movie Mr. Bonds. Now hurry up or you don't get lunch." Ron began getting loud. Ash and the girls did as directed.

Now we shift to Starn riding his bike down the side walk, and pulling into his house. After locking up his bike, he entered his home. "Hello…? Dad?" he asked. "Come on! Do it!" he heard his dad from the basement. Starn decided to go see what was happening.

But when he opened the door, he saw a terrible scene. "Oh my god." Starn was in shock, and ran out of the basement.

Ash sat in in now empty bedroom, writing in his journal. "I'm sorry I haven't written in you in awhile. But I have just went through a bad time. I was in a movie where me and Misty and her sisters had to do something horrible. Mommy made me block out what happens next. Misty's uncle, Ron, got taken to jail. But now me and Mommy are moving away from Cerulean City. And away from Misty." Ash finished, tears stained the sheet of paper he was writing on.

Delia loaded a box into the trunk of her car, and then got into the driver's seat. Ash stood in the drive way by the car, just looking at the house one last time. "Come on honey…get in." his mother told him, also sad. Ash did as she told him, and got in.

He frowned as he looked into his car door mirror. He noticed Misty running after the car in the mirror. Then he looked out side his window to see her. As she continued chasing the car, Ash got out his journal, and began writing on one of the pieces of paper with a black sharpie.

He ripped it out of the note book and placed it up against the window so Misty could see it. It read "**I'll see you again." **Misty stopped running as the car continued going. Ash let tears run from his eyes. His mother noticed this, and placed a reassuring arm around his shoulders.

_Goodbye…_

_Funny how that's such a hard thing to say_  
_Now it's time to let go but,  
never thought I'd feel this way _

Promised not to be sad but,  
we both knew I was lyin'  
Gotta fight back the tears 'cause,  
Can't let you see my cryin'

You're more then just my best friend  
What makes me misty most of all,  
in our final curtain call…  
Is knowin' that I won't see you…again…

_("Misty's Goodbye" from Poke'mon Master Quest episode "Gotta Catch Ya Later")

* * *

_

**One year later…**

Delia was washing the dishes in the kitchen, while watching Ash play outside with his new friend Gary and his poke'mon, Eevee. She heard the mail slot open at the door, and went to retrieve it. She re-entered the kitchen and dropped the mail on the kitchen table. But she noticed the envelope on top of the stack had a drawing of a very happy happy face. She opened it up to see her son's report card.

He had straight A's. she ran outside to her son, and wrapped him up in a big hug. "Mommy! What are you doing!" Ash was embarrassed. I'm hugging you!" she happily shouted. "Why?" Ash asked, not able to breathe. She released her son to tell him why "I just got your report card and you got straight A's."

"I always get straight A's, Mommy." Ash reminded her. She smiled "I know, but I never act like it's a big deal. But it is. It is." she said, and wrapped him up in another big hug. "Congratulations, Ashton." Gary commented. "Thanks, Gary." Ash thanked him, while still in his mother's grip.

Ash sat at the kitchen table writing. "I got all A's on my report card again. So Mommy is going to take me out to do something special tonight. I don't know what it is exactly. She says' it's a 'surprise.' I told her I wanted to go back to Cerulean City to see Misty. But, of course, she was still upset about what had happened there and ignored me. We can't take the car cause it's still in the shop. So we're gonna walk to my 'surprise.' it's a good thing Pallet Town is a small place." he finished.

Ash and his mother were walking at night. 'I'm so proud of my boy.' Delia thought. 'celebrate good times, come on!' she sang in her head, while smiling, and holding her eyes shut. They were now crossing the street…to get to the other side, when Ash had bent down to tie his shoe, his mother continued walking across the street. "Mommy, wait up!" he shouted, but she was lost in her song.

Ash had finished tying his shoe now, and noticed a speeding car on a collision course with his mother, even though the driver had a stop sign. The car was not slowing down. "Mommy! Look out for the car!" he yelled. But she could not hear him, still lost in song.

Ash had to take action and ran for her "Mommy!" he yelled as he pushed her out of the way just in time…but not in time to get out of the way him self, and he took the hit from the vehicle. "Ash!" …

Now the eight year old Ash Ketchum laid in a hospital bed. His mom was by his side, crying. "I'm afraid he's lost all his memory from before the accident." the doctor told her. (this was quite a while after the accident, and Ash has been going in and out of comas.) "You mean the DAY of the accident?" Delia asked, wiping her tears.

"No. I'm saying his entire memory in his life up to the accident." Doctor Brown told her, sadly. "Oh my god." she said very quiet. She began crying even more. "He may never regain that memory. But he does know his name. and he knows who you are. But that gift he had for a brain may no longer be what it was." he admitted. This made Delia, cry more…

Ash was in his bedroom, lying on his bed, writing in his journal. "Mom told me to start riting in my jurnol like I use to. Before I gots hit bi the car. She told me to rite wut I feel and wut happens evry day. Mom said I her hero and i always will be." he finished 'riting.'

* * *

**Two years later…**

Misty sat by the edge of the river, waiting for a bite on her fishing rod, when she felt a pull at it. "Oh wow, I got a bite." she was excited, and started pulling. "All right, I think this really might be a big one!" she pulled harder and harder until finally she pulled the person out of the water and on to land.

"Nah, it's just a kid." she said, disappointed "Oh, and a poke'mon." she said happily. And then she ran up to the boy…Ash. "Are you ok?" she asked. "Yeah, I'm fine." Ash responded, smiling at her. Then he received a hard smack in the face from the girl.

"Not you, your poke'mon!…is it breathing?" she asked, concerned. "I…I think so." he responded, not sure. "Well don't just stand there. You have to get it to a Poke'mon Center right away." she told him. "Can you tell me where I can find it?" he asked.

"That way." she said, pointing in the direction. Then their attention turned to the sight of spearows off in the distance, flying their way. "Ahh! They're coming!" Ash panicked. Then he took Pikachu to a bike near by, and laid him down in the basket at the front.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Misty asked. "I'm borrowing this." he said, as he hopped on to the bike, and began pedaling away. "That's my bike!" she yelled. "I'll bring it back some day!" he shouted as he rode off. "Oh you!" she angrily placed her hands on her hips.

The next day he had reached the Viridian poke'mon center, and was waiting for Pikachu's out come. He had all his journals being scanned and copied into his poke'dex. (Hey they have stuff we don't have in the anime world ok? Deal with it) After that had finished up, we went to write/type his first entry of the poke'mon journey.

"Yesterday I began my poke'mon journey. I woke up late and because of that got stuck with a pikachu. I hit a spearow on the head with a rock and he, along with his friends chased me into a river. At the river, a girl saved me. After she told me where a poke'mon center was, I borrowed her bike and rid there. Pikachu is hurt because the spearow attacked him." he finished, and placed the poke'dex into his pocket.

* * *

**One year later…**

Rudy…you guys remember Rudy right? Well he handed Misty a bouquet of flowers. "Now Misty, I know you've already made your decision…but these are for you." he said, as she took the flowers from him. "Thanks Rudy." she thanked him

"I hope you know, you're a very lucky guy, Ash." Rudy turned to Ash. "Lucky? What do you mean?" Ash asked. "You'll see some day." Rudy responded. "Hmm?" Ash was puzzled. "Pika?" Pikachu was as well.

That night when Tracy and Misty were asleep on Lapras, Ash got out his flash light and began typing in his poke'dex. "I met this jerk gym leader named Rudy. He really liked Misty. This guy made me really upset. He was trying to steal my girl. I later found out, because Misty told me, that Rudy wanted her to stay with him. But she said no.' I guess Misty couldn't leave her man. Even thought she told me 'I'm only staying with you cause you still owe me a bike.' he finished. Then he looked at Misty, a sleeping angel, and smiled at her. Then he put his journal/poke'dex away and went to sleep beside her.

* * *

**Two years later…**

Misty had just been forced to go back to Cerulean City after her sister called and told her they were leaving the city on a trip around the world, and Misty was needed to take over the gym. Brock also had to go back home to do some errands. And now they were heading in their destinations. "It's cause of this bike that I met Ash. Togepii, it was a coincidence that you and I met too." Misty told her baby poke'mon.

"Ours wasn't a coincidence. I don't think it was a coincidence that I met you out of all people." Ash disagreed with her. "What do you mean Ash?" Misty asked him.

"I guess what I mean is, even though that happened. I think that we were meant to meet and become friends." Ash smiled at Misty. She smiled back, nodding in agreement.

The group had reached an area that had three paths. One leading to Cerulean City, the other to Pewter City, and the third to Pallet Town. "Guess I'll be going this way." Misty said. "Yeah…" Ash sadly said. "Take care Ash…" Misty smiled at him.

"You too Misty." and he smiled back at her. "Will I…see you again?" she asked, hopingly. "You will…I swear." Ash responded.

Ash sat in his bedroom, still sad over the loss of his friends. He wrote in his journal "This was probably the worst day of my life. Even though my mom is here, I find my self home alone. My best friends had to go back home today. It was awful, I cried forever. Not only did my friends leave me, but my love left me too. I let my love go without telling her how I felt about her. I'm so in love with Misty. I wanted to tell her, but every time I opened my mouth the wrong thing came out." Then Ash flash backed…

"It was awesome watching you battle like that." Ash congratulated Misty. "Thanks Ash, that's sweet." she said, really touched by what he had just said. "And thanks for always being a good friend to me." she thanked him. "Yeah, sure." Ash smiled…then his face turned serious, and he looked into her eyes…

"Misty?" he asked "Yeah." she was quick to respond. "Your bikes there." he said, looking over to her bike. "Oh…" she said sadly, thinking he was going to say something else.

Ash snapped back into reality. "Damn it! Why didn't I tell her! It was the perfect time! I'm so stupid!" he banged his head on his desk where he was making his journal entry. Then he went back to his journal.

"I promised we'd see each other again. When that day comes…I will tell her how in love with her I am…" he finished, and he would cry himself to sleep that night.

* * *

**Three years later…**

"I've returned home from my poke'mon journey alone once again. May and Max continued on their own journey, while Brock headed back home to see his family. It was six years ago that I left for my journey at age 10. I am now 16, almost grown up." Ash wrote in his journal, when suddenly

"Ash! Phone call!" he heard his mother yell, and very excited. He jumped up from his desk, and it caused his chair to fall backwards with him in it. He sighed, got up, and went to go answer the phone.

"Who is it?" he asked his mother when arriving in the kitchen. "Someone." she responded, and walked away. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hi Ash." Ash only needed to hear the angel voice of "Misty!…I mean, Misty? What's going on?" he asked. "Nothing. I'm just being bored here as the Cerulean City gym leader." she told him. "Oh…"

"I heard you did well in the Battle Frontier." "Yeah. But not good enough though." Ash got sad as he responded to her. "So my sisters just left town and went to Paris. Ugh! And I'm really lonesome all by myself. So maybe if you ever get extremely bored sometime, maybe you wouldn't mind-" Misty was cut off

"Coming over! Absolutely! I'm on my…I mean." Ash had to correct him self "yeah, sure, if I get really bored. I'll check my planner for tomorrow. Not doing anything. I'll come over then okay?"

"Sounds good. See ya." she was happy with his response. "See ya…Misty." he said goodbye to her. He hung up the phone, and went back to his room to continue his journal.

"I talked to Misty for the first time in over a year since she had to leave for Cerulean City again. She WANTS me to come over really badly right now! So I was cool about it and told her to wait until tomorrow. She got upset, but I told her she could wait…whoo-hoo!" he finished his entry for the day.

The next day Ash was headed to Misty's. He got there pretty quick. He was now at her house. 'Oh man. I didn't even bring any flowers.' he realized. He sighed, and rang the door bell anyways.

"Ash! Hi!" Misty greeted him after opening the door. She jumped into his arms and they embraced in a big hug. "It's been awhile." Misty said, as they released from their hug. "Sure has." Ash agreed. "Well come on in." she said, and led him inside.

After leading him inside to the living room, Ash saw a guy standing there. "Oh, this is my cousin, Starn." Misty introduced him to Ash. "Hi, I'm-"

"Ash Ketchum. Yes yes. I've heard a lot about you." Starn interrupted Ash. "Well that's good I guess. I don't have to tell you about my self." Ash joked, and they all laughed.

Later than night the three were watching TV. They were watching Scrubs. "I'm gonna go take a shower now." Ash told them. "Ok, don't be long, we've got some more catching up to do before bed." Misty said, as he walked down the hall way and into the bathroom.

"I don't like that guy." Starn told his cousin, with is arms crossed. "What? Why?" Misty asked, feeling hurt by this. "He's a perv. He just wants to get into your pants." he responded.

"You say that about every guy I'm in contact with. Ever since Uncle Ron…well you know." Misty said. "No. I could read that guy. He was a total disgusting sex rape addict." Starn said, almost in a whisper."

"Oh Starn. I know this guy. He's really sweet. You don't have anything to worry about." Misty gave him a reassuring smile. Starn sort of smiled after that.

The next day Ash and Misty sat at the kitchen table catching up on what has happened while they've been separated. But their conversation was interrupted when the video phone began to ring. Misty went to it, and answered. She saw her sister's on the monitor, which made her think more bad news.

"Like hi Misty. We've totally decided to stay in Paris permanently. But don't think we forgot about you. We know you told us you were tired of being a gym leader. So we sold the gym to this really cute guy. You'll get 25 of the money. So see ya." Daisy finished.

"Wait a minute, I-" "Bye Misty." Daisy hung up on her sister. "Well I guess I'm not a gym leader anymore." Misty said. "Are you ok with that?" Ash asked.

"I don't know. Now I have to get a job." she said, shocked at the turn of events that continued in her life.

Starn had heard the conversation from the hall way, and emerged into the scene. "I can get you a job, Misty." he offered her. "Yeah?" she asked, smiling. "Yeah. I can get you a job selling event tickets with me…if you'd like?"

"I'd like that." Misty gave him a hug. "You ok?" Ash asked. "Yeah. Now come on guys, let's go see a movie." Misty gave a reassuring smile to the guys. Ash put on his jacket, and they got ready to go.

* * *

The three were now all sitting beside each other in the movie theatre. Misty was in the middle of the two. In the movie there was a bad car accident, as one of the vehicles went spinning and spinning. When the spinning subsided, a little girl inside the car was crying and screaming. "Mommy! Daddy!" she yelled, but her parents were motionless at in the front seats.

Misty flinched in her seat, and Ash noticed it. Then without warning Misty got up out of her seat, and walked out of the theatre. Ash watched as she left. Then he shortly afterwards got up out of his seat to go after her, leaving his jacket on his seat.

"Misty. Misty…what's up? What's wrong?" he asked as he caught up to her in the empty hall of the theatres. "Sorry. I just relived a horrible past experience." Misty told him, sniffing back her tears. "Oh…" Ash felt bad, even though he didn't know what the experience was.

She decided she'd tell her story. "When I was six years old my family and I were driving back home at night from vacation…a drunk driver hit us. I remember my sister's screaming and crying. My sisters and I were ok, but my parents didn't make it. They died before the ambulance arrived." she finished, in tears.

"Oh Misty." Ash concerned, wrapped her up in a big hug. The two stood hugging for several moments. Then…Misty looked up to her hugger. She looked deep into his eyes…and he looked deep into hers. For the first time ever, Ash was able to really look into those gorgeous eyes.

Then Misty moved forward, leaning in to kiss him. He followed her action. Then their lips finally met. The moment both had been dreaming of since they were little kids. This triggered images in Ash's head.

He was a little boy, and he was playing with a little girl. This little girl was Misty. "Ashton!" she yelled, chasing him cause he had stolen her doll. "You can't catch me!" he was having a good time, as he ran in circles.

The image of the two playing tag in the back yard came into his mind.

Then the two were on the beach, walking alongside the ocean. "Here you go. Hope it's special." Misty handed him a sea shell. Then she kissed him on the cheek. Ash placed his hand on the wet spot afterwards.

"I have to move Misty." he told her. "If you ever feel lonely and miss me. Just hold the sea shell I gave you. I twill remind you of the good times we shared." Misty told him, and then gave him a kiss on the cheek, and ran off. He watched her as she ran.

Starn meanwhile was still watching the movie, but nervous that his cousin had gone off with a guy he didn't trust. Suddenly, a cell phone began ringing. It was coming from Ash's jacket. He decided he would answer it. So he traded spots with Misty's seat.

"Hello?" he answered. "Ash?" he heard a female voice ask. "He's not here right now." Starn told her. "Well…who ever this is. Tell him his mother called, and to call her back later." she told him. "Will do." Starn said, and hung up.

He put the phone back into the pocket of Ash's jacket, and noticed his poke'dex sticking out. And sticking out of the poke'dex was a piece of paper. He took the piece of paper out, and saw it had password to the dex on it. It was 'MISTY.'

"Now to find out who this guy really is." he said, and invaded Ash's privacy, entering the password and searching through his journal. Starn became disgusted with what he found. It was very detailed descriptions of sex and stuff that would require a higher rating of this story to be told.

Ash and Misty continued kissing in the hall way, now really putting their energy into it. "What the fuck are you doing!" The two were startled by the burst of shouting that came from Starn. Then he ran up to the two and pushed Ash out of the way.

"Starn! What are you doing!" Misty got upset at him. "Take a look at this." he said, angrily. Then he handed Misty the poke'dex. "Hey that's mine!" Ash shouted, glaring at Starn.

Misty looked up from the poke'dex to Ash. "Ash? Is all this yours?" Misty asked, stunned. Ash took it from her and read through it. "No…NO! this isn't mine. This is Brock-ahh!"

Ash received a punch in the face from Starn. "I'll show you what's yours. A fat lip." he said, rubbing his fist. Ash got up off the floor, while placing his hand on his left cheek where he took the blow.

"Misty…you, you don't think I-" "Stop…" Misty stopped him "I want you to leave…" she told him, pointing towards the exit. "But…Misty." he tried to explain, but it wasn't working. "Leave!" she yelled. After staring at her in disbelief for a short time, he turned and walked away, sadly.

* * *

"Ok you two, stop fighting." Brock pulled his fighting brothers apart. Then he heard the doorbell. "Ok, you two apologize to each other while I answer the door." he told them. Brock answered the door. He was surprised to see Ash standing there.

"Ash? Hey-" Brock couldn't finish as he was sent to the floor after a blow in the face. "What the hell is this!" why would you put this disturbing sex shit on to MY poke'dex!" Ash put the poke'dex right into Brock's face.

Ash hit his friend again. "Ash, I-" Brock was hit again…and again by his long time friend. Brock's brothers and sisters tried to stop the fighting, as they ran over to them, and tried to pull Ash off. "Ok you two, stop fighting." on of the kids that was in the fight tried pulling Ash off his brother.

But then he was knocked back by Ash. A police officer across the street saw the fighting and ran over to the brawl. "Stop it!" he yelled, as he pulled Ash off of Brock. "You owe me Brock!" Ash said, as he was taken away.

Soon an ambulance arrived to take Ash to the hospital, and the officer took Ash to jail.

* * *

**Hmm…Ash has gone through hell hasn't he? Along with his friends. In chapter two we'll get to the present. And see what his life is like at age 25. He will find Misty again, but is that a good thing? Find out next…**


	2. I'll See You Again

**Time After Time**

**Chapter Two: I'll See You Again**

_Time to move on to Chapter Two. This chapter takes place NINE years after Chapter One. And things happen…that's all I have to say. Just get a move on and read it and any other chapter or story that follows this one. And review too. I just feel lazy at the moment. So that's all I have to say._

(Nine years later…) "Pidgey! Pidgey! Pidgey!" a loud poke'ball alarm clock with a fake Pidgey popping out of it repeated over and over on a mini dresser next to a bed. This bed was Ash's and he quickly slammed the alarm clock to shut it off. He sat up in his bed, and rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, and starred over at his room mate, still sleeping in the bed across from him in the tiny room.

Ash got up out of his bed, and went to the window across from the door to the room, which was right between the beds. He starred out side, and then went to the bathroom to take a shower. Ash is now a 25 year old man, with a lot more hair now, which includes sideburns and a goatee. Even a little mullet going for him now.

After taking a shower, he was now walking in a large class room that appears to be a college class room. He was walking towards the seats when he was called by the professor. "Mr. Ketchum, I'm still waiting for your report on…"

"Time travel. I was doing a report on how Celebiis were able to go back in time and effect the future." Ash carried on the topic. "Right. And when can I expect that?" the professor asked.

"Soon, Professor Sam. I need just a little more-" Ash started but was interrupted by Sam "Well you better hurry Ketchum. Everyone else besides the slackers have turned there's in. now you've only got two days. Now go sit down."

Ash angrily walked to an empty seat and began tapping his desk with a pencil. "What's up, dude?" a guy sitting next to Ash asked him. "I'm having a hard time finding certain information." Ash responded to his friend.

"No. that's not what I meant. I thought you were gonna get laid last night." the guy corrected himself. "Well Gordon, I'm not gonna lie to you…I didn't have a girlfriend last night." Ash admitted.

"You don't need a girlfriend to get laid. Now come on. Tonight you and Bryan are lonesome with me to a bar and pick up some easy chicks, all right?" Gordon asked, putting a hand on Ash's left shoulder. "Sure, whatever." Ash removed Gordon's hand. "Ok everyone. Open your books to page-" Professor Sam is cut off as we shift to a later scene in Ash's small dorm room.

Ash lied in bed, writing his report on time travel. Bryan was across from him on his bed, sniffing cocaine with a pipe. Ash rolled his eyes as he glanced at his room mate, and continued on with his report. "Dude…" Bryan began.

"What's up Bryan?" Ash asked, while continuing to write. "The ceiling bro…a colorful ceiling." Bryan giggled. "Could you leave me alone? I'm trying to finish this report." Ash told him in an angry voice.

"Dude, why did you even chose that subject? It's too hard?" Bryan, stopping his sniffing to ask Ash that question. "…Because." Ash responded. "Because why?" Bryan giggled again.

"I guess because I want to go back in time. Go back to crucial moments in my life. Maybe change them for the better." Ash explained. "Oh come on. Everyone wants to do that." Bryan replied. "Well I really want to change my life. I'm tired of this life I live now." Ash told him, and then snapped his pencil in half in frustration.

"You don't like being room mates with me? Or doing crack and having sex every day without a care in the world?" Bryan asked, and giggled once more. "No! I wanna live a real life! I'm tired of being stuck here learning about stupid fucking pokemon shit that means nothing!" Ash lost his patience and threw his notebook against the wall.

Bryan just smiled at him in return. "Well you don't understand. You're high." Ash said, realizing Bryan didn't understand what he was talking about. "Ok dude. We're gonna go out tonight. Have some drinks, shoot some pool, and pickup some hot chicks and bang them like an electric hammer on nails." Bryan smiled and held up his hand, waiting for Ash to give him a high five.

Ash didn't return the awaited high five, still being upset about his current life. "Huh?" Bryan urged him to give him a high five, still holding his hand up for him.

"Look I know you've had a rough life. You lost your girlfriend four times. Your best friend framed you, you beat him up. And you went to jail. But, live it up man. Have some fun. The past is past…so what do you say…dumb ass?" Bryan tried encouraging him, still with his hand ready for a high five.

Ash smiled, and gave him that high five. "All right. Let's do it." Ash said with his old confidence used as a young pokemon trainer.

Ash, Gordon, and Bryan are now at a bar, playing pool. Ash was shooting very well, everything seemed to be going in for him. And he was getting very lucky. "Damn Ash. Calm down." Gordon playfully punched Ash in the left shoulder a little too hard. "Ow." Ash rubbed his shoulder.

"If Ash wins we all get to punch him." Bryan suggested. "What? That's not fair." "Rules are rules." Bryan responded to Ash's whining. The guys went back to playing, and Ash went back to kicking his friend's ass.

"Don't look now. But there's a really hot girl coming over cause she noticed how well I'm playing." Bryan told the guys, as a girl came walking up to their table. "You're a really good shot." the black haired girl complemented his game.

"Thanks. This is actually my first time playing." Ash rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Really? I bet you can't beat me." the girl challenged him. "Probably not. Giving that your most likely a pro." Ash agreed with her, and then gave the look to his friends.

"Uh…let's go over to that table of girls over there." Gordon pointed out to Bryan. And the two walked over in that direction. Where it wasn't long before Bryan got a cup of water thrown at him by one of the girls.

Meanwhile Ash and the girl we're playing a fierce competitive game of pool. Ash needed to make only one more shot to bank in the win. "Here it comes." Ash said, ready to take the shot. And just as he said, it came and he managed to make the last shot of the game.

"Congratulations. You just won the key to my lock. Or rather, you have the key to my lock." the girl turned him on. "Uh-hehehe. Oh yeah. Heh-heh." Ash wasn't really sure what to say.

"Well…?" the girl asked. "Well what?" Ash wasn't sure what to say still. "You have to do the next part." she told him. "Oh…so let's go to my place." Ash nervously suggested. "Sounds fun." she replied, and got her bag. They were then on their way to his room.

The door to Ash's room opened quick, as he and the girl from the bar emerged making out. They went to the bed immediately and continued making out on the bed. "Hurry up, and find the condom." she ordered him, while he was on top of her. "Ok ok." Ash replied, while getting off to go find one.

"Oh wait. Before we…get it on…what's your name? I'd feel weird sleeping with a girl I don't ever know her name." Ash asked her. "It's Julia. Now hurry up." she ordered.

He went to the big dresser by the window, that he and Bryan shared. He began searching through the drawers for a condom. "I can't find it. Hey look in my top drawer right there." Ash pointed next to the bed, with the lamp and the poke ball/pidgey alarm clock on it. "I doubt there's any in there, but it's worth a shot." Ash told her, while continuing to search through the dresser.

"Yep. Here it is." Julia pulled out a condom, and a poke'dex. Ash was meanwhile taking off his shirt, and placing it in the dirty clothes hamper. Julia saw the piece of paper with his password to the poke'dex and typed it in. she began searching.

"Hey hey. No-no-no. don't do that." Ash took the poke'dex from her. "Why not? And shouldn't you have remembered your password by now?" she asked. "The last time I let some one look through my dex, it ruined my life." Ash told her.

"How? Did they find information you didn't want them to see?" Julia asked. "It's complicated." Ash told her. "Can you read me something?" she asked.

"I don't think so. It'll just bum me out." Ash said. "Come on. I t might lead to good foreplay….please?" Julia asked, rubbing her body. Ash sighed "…Ok. Fine." he agreed, and searched through his journal. "I've never read anything I've entered in here. So I don't know if there's anything good." he said, and continued on.

He found a journal entry from 15 years ago. "Ok, here we go…" he began. Julia scooted closer to him. "After a near death experience…" Ash stopped. "Go on." Julia egged him on.

"…I know now that Misty really cares about me. She was so happy to see I was still alive." he read, and the words on the poke'dex shook as he read. The bedroom began to shake as well. The only things in the room that weren't shaking was the poke'dex(just the words) and Ash himself.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, and when he opened them, he was flying high in the air. Pikachu was right next to him. "Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Pika Pi." Pikachu answered. He looked below him, at least 20 feet down was Brock and Misty. And his body along with Pikachu's, lying lifeless.

"Come on Ash. Open your eyes. Please." Misty shook his body gently. "Oh my god…did i…?" Ash asked. "Pikachu!" Pikachu flew down to his body below. Ash followed his pokemon down to his own body.

"Hi Misty." Ash said, as he opened his eyes, and looked to her. "You're alive." she was surprised to see him alive. Misty began crying tears of happiness, and wiped them away, a big smile on her face. Ash closed his eyes, when laying back on the floor.

He reopened them, and he was lying in his bed in his door room. He sat up quickly, and started panicking. "Relax, you just had a bad dream." Julia touched his shoulder. Ash was still panicking, he was really jumpy.

"Well. Are we gonna-" "I've gotta go." Ash cut off Julia, and walked to the door. "What? You can't just-" she was interrupted again, as Ash walked out the door. Julia looked around, and stole some change on the dresser, and left.

* * *

Ash was now sitting on a bench in the park, starring at the stars. "I miss you Misty." he said as he gazed at a star that stood out. It twinkled more and it was bigger in size than all the other stars in view.

Then as he gazed up, he saw a shooting star go by. "Wow. I guess I should make a wish. I'll try anything at this point…" he didn't need long to ponder about his wish at all. "I wish I could be with Misty again." he wished aloud. Then he got up from the bench and walked away. The image of the sky full of stars stays, and then thousands of shooting stars go by in instances.

Ash folded up a couple shirts and set them into a travel bag. "Where the fuck are you going?" Bryan asked, kind of annoyed as he set aside a Playboy magazine he was reading.

"I'm going home." Ash responded without looking at him, whilst continuing to pack. "For good?" Bryan asked, a little scared of the answer.

"No. I'm just gonna go visit my mom." Ash picked up the bag and headed towards the door. "Well, don't be gone too long. You still gotta finish that time travel thing." Bryan reminded him. Ash looked at him for a few seconds, and then smiled slightly. "Yeah…I do." he said, and walked out the door.

Ash had arrived in Pallet Town, and was now sitting at the kitchen table of his house with his mom. "So howse school going?" she asked him. "It's going ok. It's hard, but I manage." he told her, and then noticed a tear escape his mother's eye.

"You ok, Mom?" Ash asked. "Yes. I just remember what a little genius you were. The doctor said you'd never regain that gift. I think you have, Ash." his mother told him, and wiped the tear away.

"Are you talking about the car accident?" Ash asked, he felt upset about the topic being raised again. "Yes." his mother sniffed.

"Well I'm not a genius." he told her. "You're smarter than the doctor said you'd be." his mother told him. Ash took his mother's hand. "My hero…" Delia said softly.

"…Mom…I'm gonna go to Cerulean City and see Misty again." he told her. "Good. You two need to talk again."

"I know." Ash looked down at the table. "You two are destined for each other. You've been in love with her since you were five years old." Delia wiped more tears away.

"What are you talking about? I didn't even meet her until I was ten years old." Ash was confused, giving his mother the 'she's crazy look' that he use to give to Misty.

"Ash. We originally lived in Cerulean City for seven years. You were friends with Misty. But you don't remember because of the car accident. You have this stuff written down in your old journals." his mom explained.

"Really?" Ash was getting a little excited cause he was anxious to read the old entries. "Well I'm gonna go see her tomorrow."

"Good. That's the only way you two are gonna make up. Unfortunately we don't have the benefit of going back in time and changing things." his mom sighed.

* * *

Ash arrived in Cerulean City the next day by bus. When he got off, he immediately went to Misty's house. He reached her door, and rung the door bell without thought.

"The gym's closed right now." he heard a man's voice tell him. "I'm here for Misty Waterflower." Ash told him.

"She doesn't live here anymore." the man opened the door to greet a depressed Ash. "Do you know where I can find her?" Ash asked him.

"I don't know where she lives, but I know where she works." the man told him after a pause. "Where?" Ash asked, curiously.

Ash stood outside the "Cerulean Diner" starring through the window where he saw his girl, Misty, she was dressed as a waitress. She was carrying a tray with silverware and food stacked upon it. She looked back to a customer that called her, and then walked into another waitress and dropped the tray.

Ash flinched from outside. Misty got up off the floor, and then a man, sitting on a stool next to her grabbed her ass. She turned around to him and gave a forceful smile. Ash couldn't believe what he was watching.

It was dark now. Ash was sitting at a bus stop waiting for Misty to get off from work. Then he saw her walk out the diner, and down the sidewalk. Ash walked up beside her "Hey Misty." he greeted her.

"Ash? Oh my god! What are you doing here?" the two hugged. "I was in town…and I just saw you and thought I'd say 'hi'…hi." Ash explained. "Hi. It's good to see you again." Misty said back.

"Why don't you live in your old house anymore?" Ash asked, as the two walked down the sidewalk. "Because my cousin stole all the money I got after the gym was sold." Misty explained, looking down while she talked.

"What?…and you didn't do anything about that bastard?" Ash raised his voice in anger. "What are you talking about Ash? You're the bastard! Starn protected me from you!" Misty stopped while giving him the 'pissed ass hell and I've been through hell' look.

"Misty. I didn't write that stuff. You know me." Ash tried to convince her. "Fuck you! I thought I knew you!…but apparently I don't!" Misty ran off home crying. Ash frowned as he watched the love of his life run away from me.

* * *

Ash slammed the door open to his room back at the dorm. "Hey. How'd it go?" Bryan asked. "It fucking sucked." Ash dropped his coat on the chair by his bed. "Did you check the messages?" Ash asked him.

"No." Bryan turned the page in the Playboy he was reading/looking at. Ash went to the machine and pressed the button. "You have TWO new messages: Ash, it's Professor Sam. You didn't show up to class today, you better have that report done by tomorrow. Most professors don't call their students. You're lucky I like you. Get it done." the first message finished

Ash rolled over in his bed and sighed. "What the fuck did you say to my sister, Ash?" Daisy said on the machine. This got the attention of Ash and Bryan.

"She cried on the phone for over an hour to me tonight…she…she fucking killed herself…she's dead…and so are you." the message finished. Ash was in complete shock, immovable.

* * *

Ash, wearing a fancy suit and blue roses in his hands walked through a cemetery. He hid behind a tree, as he looked over to where Misty was being buried. Her coffin was about to be lowered into the ground. He saw Misty's sisters, her uncle, and her cousin, Starn. The song "Tears And Rain" by James Blunt was echoing around.

i wish i could surrender my soul  
share the clothes that become my skin  
see a light that burns within my meaning  
_i wish id chosen darkness from cold  
i wish i screamed outloud instead i found no meaning _

i guess it time i run for falling rain find comfort in pain  
all pleasures the same it just keeps me from trouble  
hides my true shape like dorian gray  
iv heard what they say  
but im not here for trouble its more than words its tears and rain

i wish i could walk through the doors of my mind  
hold memory close at hand  
help me understand the years  
i wish i could choose between heaven and hell  
i wish id save my soul im so cold from fear

i guess it time i run for falling rain find comfort in pain  
all pleasures the same it just keeps me from trouble  
hides my true shape like dorian gray  
iv heard what they say  
but im not here for trouble its more than words its tears and rain

for falling rain find comfort in pain  
all pleasures the same it just keeps me from trouble  
its more than words its tears and rain

its more than words its tears and rain!

When her family had left, Ash approached the burial spot. He looked down at the casket beneath him. Ash placed the bouquet of blue roses down on top of the casket. Then he pulled out a folded up piece of paper and placed it beside the roses. Ash got back up onto his feet and starred down at the coffin, a tear fell from his eyes on to the piece of paper.

The words written were "I'll see you again."

(To be continued)

**So...interesting huh? All these events in Ash's life is just too much isn't it? But now it's time for Ash to go back and change them. But remember…you change one thing…you change everything…**


	3. Scars Never Heal

**Time After Time**

**Chapter Three: Scars Never Heal**

_Welcome to the third chapter of "Time After Time" where the real story begins. Hopefully I don't disappoint. So here we go._

Ash knocked on a door, and awaited it to open. The guy that opened it looked a lot like Brock, only younger. "Uh…hi, I'm looking for Brock Slate." Ash told him.

"He doesn't live here." the young man responded. "Do you know where he is?" Ash asked. "…he's in the hospital. Has been for nine years." the guy said, sadly. Ash went wide eyed.

"Hey…your Ash Ketchum aren't you?" the guy asked. "Yeah." Ash smiled. Then he was sent to the ground after a blow to the face by the guy. "Fuck you!" he said, and slammed the door shut.

Ash walked into his dorm room and fell upon the bed. "Where have you been?" Bryan asked, reading a Playboy once again. "I went to tell a friend about Misty, but I got hit in the face instead." Ash said, rubbing his left cheek.

"Ha ha" Bryan laughed and pointed. Ash dug through the drawer and found the seashell Misty gave him for his fifth birthday and gripped it. He began seeing images of the two of them playing as kids, and then when she fished him out of the river. He put it down after the intense flashbacks.

Ash pulled out his Poke' dex from the drawer and logged in. he began reading an entry. "But the best part of the party was when Misty gave me a pretty seashell and kissed me on the cheek. And my birthday wish was that me and Misty would be together forever."

Now he was a kid again, walking with Misty along the beach. She handed him the seashell and kissed him on the cheek. Then she ran towards the adults. He started after her, but then he stepped on a broken shell which was very sharp. Blood began gushing from the cut in his foot and he screamed out in pain.

He continued screaming, and then opened his eyes to realize he was lying on his dorm bed. "Relax. Relax. You had a bad dream." Bryan was shaking him. Ash got up and began breathing heavily.

"Are you ok?" Bryan raised his eyebrow. Ash took off what he noticed a different brand of show than he had. It was a Nike instead of a Reebok. He took off his sock next and saw the scar on his foot. "Scar…" he said softly.

"Dude, no. don't show me that thing again, gross." Bryan shielded his eyes with the Playboy. "You've seen this scar?" Ash asked. "Yes, it's fucking gross." Bryan slapped Ash's foot away.

Ash went wide eyed. "Hey could you leave me alone for a little while?" Ash asked his room mate. "Well…ok…do you want me to leave my Playboy?" Bryan asked. "Just get out of here." Ash pushed him out the door and locked it.

Ash sat at his desk. He began typing into his Poke'dex. "If I can make scars, do I have the power to heal them? What about Misty's scars?" he finished. Then he began searching for another one of his journal entries.

"I need to go back and change something that was missing from my life first." he decided, and found the entry he was looking for. "I had a good birthday today. But I saw Daddy kissing another girl that was not Mommy. I told Mommy about it and she got mad." he read and everything around him began to shake.

He now found him self in the ocean. "Hey guys, let's head over to those rocks and play." Starn pointed. Ash ran over to the rocks, and climbed over them. He saw his dad kissing the woman.

"Dad stop!" he yelled, and climbed down to where his father was. He jumped away from the woman in fright. "Now I can tell Mom your cheating on her, or you never cheat again and Mom never has to know a thing." Ash reasoned with him. "I'm sorry, son. I wont cheat." he said, and then everything began shaking again…

* * *

Ash opened his eyes, and realized he was on a very soft mattress with pink blankets and lace pillows. He was shirtless too. He examined the room he was in. there was a lot of girly stuff. Posters of boy bands and Brad Pitt. a lot of pink. "What the?" he was confused. Then he began having images in his head 

"Why should I be the one who has to watch the gym?" Misty asked, upset. "But Misty, it's only while they're gone." Ash told her. "Are you sure you'll be ok without me Ash?" Misty asked. "Misty, I'll miss you." Ash was getting emotional.

He was crying in his room. "Why are you crying, son?" his dad entered the room. "You really love her don't you?" he asked, taking a seat next to his bed. "Yeah." Ash looked at his father. "You have to go after her Ash. I was in this type of situation with your mother when we were younger. I went after her. And it paid off." his dad explained.

"I'll go after her, Dad." he said. Now he was standing in front of Misty. "Misty, I love you." Ash told her. "Oh Ash, I love you too." the two hugged and shared their first kiss.

Ash snapped back into where he was now. Then the pink blankets over him began moving and then revealed Misty lying next to him. "Good morning Ash." Misty greeted him. "Ahh!" Ash fell off the side of the bed in shock.

"Ash, are you ok?" Misty asked, covering her nude body with the blanket. "Misty?" Ash asked, surprised. "Yeah? What's the matter sweetie?" Misty asked concerned.

"Your room…incredible." Ash said, not believing where he was. "Thanks…" Misty was confused. "Wow." Ash was still shocked, looking around at his surroundings. "…Yeah, anyways, you take a shower first cause all the girls keep putting their ears against the door when we take it together." Misty told him.

"Yeah…ok. Ok." Ash was wide eyed, still looking around. "Well hurry up." Misty pointed to the door. "Right…where's the bathroom?" he asked. "No time for games, I cant be late for class again." Misty rose her voice.

"All right." Ash walked out of the room and into a hall, where lots of beautiful girls were walking, wearing very little. "Hey Ashy Boy. Have fun last night?" a girl asked as she walked by him. "You know it." Ash responded. "I'm in a sorority." Ash realized, and smiled.

Ash and his girlfriend were walking around on campus to their classes hand in hand. "Sup, Ash?" a guy nodded as they walked by him. "Uh…" Ash wasn't sure what to say. "Nice work, bro." another guy said and playfully hit him in the shoulder as he walked by. "Thanks…ow." Ash rubbed his shoulder.

"Well I'll be getting to class. I'll see you tonight." Misty said in a sexy tone. "Hey, Mist. Uh after class…'s is over. You wouldn't mind walking me to my dorm room would you?" Ash asked not sure where it might be.

Misty raised an eyebrow. "…Ok. Even though you always bunk with me. You might as well just move your stuff into my room." Misty told him. "Oh…I just-" Misty interrupted him "Look, I gotta go." Misty pulled him into a deep passionate kiss.

"See ya." she said as the kiss ended and walked away. "See ya…" Ash waved, and then got really excited and clenched his fists.

Ash walked into his class and towards Professor Sam. "Ok everyone take your seats, the exam is about to begin." Sam told the students. "Hey Professor Sam. About the report. We're still ok with the extension, right?" Ash asked.

"And you are…?" Sam didn't recognize him. "Ash…Ketchum." Ash attempted to refresh his memory. But it failed. "Well the answer is no Mr. Ketchum. Now here." Sam handed him the test.

Ash walked to his seat, but turned around a couple times to stare at the professor in confusion. He took his seat and was startled after a hand touched his shoulder. He flinched and knocked the hand away "Hey stop you asshole."

"Ash, your hysterical." Brock said, as he crawled over the seat and sat next to him. "Brock?" Ash asked. "I know. Surprised to see me?" but the exam's today. Can't miss it." Brock explained. "Did you study for this?"

"Uh…I don't know." Ash shrugged. "Me neither." Brock took a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket and casually handed it to him. "What's this?" Ash asked.

"The answers dude." Brock proudly responded and Ash took it. "Hey can I borrow your Ipod while I test?"

Ash reached into his pocket and held an Ipod in his hand. "Wow…" Ash was surprised to see he had one. Brock reached for it, but Ash pulled his hand away. "No!" Ash yelled.

"Come on Ash. You always listen to it." Brock wined. Ash handed it to Brock, sadly. Brock put the earphones in his ears and began testing/cheating.

Ash unfolded the answer sheet and then crumpled it up and threw it under his seat. And started the test.

Ash and Brock were walking to their dorm room. "This is called a 'Water Dorm?' Ash asked. "Yes yes. You idiot. The losers live across from us in the 'Fire Dorm.' How many times must you be confused by the fact the two sides hate each other?" Brock was upset at how dumb his friend was acting today. Then reached their room and entered it.

"Wow, this dorm room…it's big." he looked around in astonishment at the much bigger space than he once had. "And you're my room mate?"

"What's wrong with you?" Brock raised an eyebrow. "It's just I wake up and my life goes from bad to good." Ash tried explaining. "Huh?" Brock continued raising his eyebrow at his friend he thought was on crack.

"I've got a bigger place, you're my room mate, I've got an Ipod, Misty's my girlfriend, and my penis is somehow bigger." Ash explained further. "Woah-woah! I did not need to know that!…is it bigger than mine?" Brock asked curiously. "I don't know."

"Well let's find out." Brock put his hands on his pants. "no!" Ash covered his yes and Brock removed his hands from his pants. "Hey I wanted to do something special for Misty. Tomorrow night. Have any suggestions?" Ash asked.

"No…well you could take her to Deck's next door." Brock pointed behind him. "Decks?" Ash raised an eye brow. "…The restaurant." Brock said.

"Right. Ok. I'll do that." Ash snapped his fingers…then noticed his poke' dex sticking out of Brock's back pack by the dresser. "Hey what are you doing with my poke' dex!" Ash took it.

"I thought you wouldn't mind if I had it since you keep all your notes in your Ipod now." Brock rubbed the floor with his shoe nervously. "…No. you still can't have it." Ash placed it on the pillow of his bed.

"What a jerk." Brock mumbled and walked out the door, upset. "Brock, don't go. I'll buy you your own com note book." Ash followed him out the door. As the two disappear out of sight, an older man with red hair watches them leave and then enters their room.

Ash laid on top of Misty in her bed room, only covered by the sheets with flower designs. "Oh god that was so good. my toes feel numb." Misty couldn't stop smiling. "Yeah…amazing." Ash smiled, dumbfounded by his first time of his recollection.

"You learned some new moves." Misty giggled. "…It wasn't…it wasn't weird or anything…was it?" Ash asked nervously. "Oh no. that's your best performance yet." Misty kissed him and giggled again.

Ash smiled "Thanks." "You've really changed Ash." Misty's face turned serious. "What do you…what do you…mean?" Ash was kind of frightened by the question.

"Today you've been acting different. You talk differently. You eat differently, and you walk differently." Misty explained. "Yeah….a lot has changed." he smiled and kissed her neck "but it's all for the better." and then he rested his head upon her breasts.

* * *

The next day Ash was in the hallway just getting done with a conversation on the payphone. "By Mom." he hung up and began looking around at the walls. Then he saw Bryan heading his way. 

"Hey Bryan, do you know what time it is?" Ash asked. "Why? Did you lose your Rolex? Well fuck you frat boy!" Bryan startled Ash with his comment and he continued on walking.

That night Ash and Misty were each wearing fancy clothes. Ash in a tux while Misty in a blue strapless mini dress. They were eating on the patio of Deck's. "Mmm. That was really good." Misty smiled.

"Sure was." Ash rubbed his stomach. "What's up Ash?" Misty asked, taking a sip of whine. "Huh?" Ash looked up at her. "You never take me out to eat? Why now?" Misty asked curiously.

"Well Mist…there's something I want to tell you. Rather ask you…" Ash's cheeks slightly reddened. "Yeah? Ok, go on." Misty rested her chin on her hands and stared into her love's eyes.

"We've known each other for fifteen years. We've been friends for fifteen years. And we've been going out for nine years. I love you. You're the most important person in the world to me. I want to be with you forever." Ash went

"Ash…" Misty said softly, touched by his words. "And now I want to ask you something. Something that will let me know you love me as much as I love you." Ash reached into his pocket.

"Ash! I've been looking for you!" Brock burst onto the patio. "Well I've been right here, waiting for you to interrupt me." Ash said, ticked off. "Someone trashed your car." Brock exited the area, followed by a worried Ash and Misty.

"Who did this? Who did this!" Ash asked loudly as he arrived at his trashed Mercedes. "It was probably those Fire fuckers!" Brock accused. Ash noticed something around the broken-in-half antennae. It was a necklace, star shaped .

Herds of people were gathering around the car. "Starn…" Misty gasped. "Who?" Ash turned to Misty. "My cousin…but I don't understand why he'd do this." Misty puzzled. "Son-of-a-bitch." Ash, frustrated with his damaged car.

The couple were now walking through a field to get to their dorm. "I can't believe Starn would do that to you." Misty still puzzled. "Well he's never liked me." Ash reminded her.

"He's never liked any of the guys that hang around me. He was horrible to Tracy. He scared him away back when I was in control of the Cerulean Gym." Misty told him.

"Why doesn't he like me?" Ash asked. "He's been really protective of me ever since…well something really bad happened. Involving my dad. He things every guy out there has a disgusting mind." Misty explained, a little hurt by bringing up the past.

"Well we do." Ash chuckled. "Ash! This is serious. Starn used to beat up boys that I played with. He went to jail after he beat this boy up that sent me a love letter." Misty was upset at his bad timing for humor.

Ash stopped in his tracks when he noticed a small read object beside a tree. "What the hell?" Ash ran over to it and picked it up. "Isn't that your poke' dex?" Misty asked as she caught up with him.

"Yeah." Ash looked over it. "What the hell is it doing out here?" Misty asked, putting an arm on his shoulder.

Just then the red haired man from earlier emerged from behind the tree with a baseball bat. "Hey fucker. Hi Cuz." the man greeted them.

"Starn, what are you doing?" Misty stepped out in front of Ash. "Stay the FUCK away from us!" Ash then stepped in front of Misty.

"I think you need to step the FUCK away from my cousin you twisted son-of-a-bitch!" Starn pointed his bat right at Ash's head. "Starn stop it! Ash is a good guy. He's a good guy." Misty put her arms around her boyfriend.

"Oh yeah? Then explain that fucking sex fantasy shit in that poke'dex. And not ordinary shit either." Starn knocked the dex out of Ash's hands, and showed it to Misty.

Then the guy handed it to Ash. "Brock…that son of a bitch!" Ash realized it was Brock's doing. "Your going to hell mother fucker!" Starn took a swing at Ash with the bat. But Ash dodged it and Starn hit Misty in the head and she fell against the tree with a cracking sound and then to the ground.

"Oh my god!" Ash was on his knees with his hands over his head. "Holy shit!" Starn threw the bat away and ran off. Campus security was on the scene and pulled Ash away from the accident.

Ash had been convicted of attempted murder of Misty…he was at the hospital however, awaiting the news for Misty. He was under watch of police officers.

Ash noticed the doctor enter the room. "Is she ok?" Ash immediately jumped up off his chair. "I'm afraid she's paralyzed from the neck down." the doctor said, sadly. Ash hung his head, and let tears drip from his eyes.

**(To Be Continued…)**

**Like the chapter title says, 'scars never heal.' things seemed to be perfect for Ash. But things changed. now if he wasn't to change Misty's permanent handicap, he'll have to head back to the past to accomplish it. So in chapter 4 he'll make another trip through time and attempt to make his life perfect.**


	4. Life Can't Get More Screwed Up

**Time After Time**

**Chapter Four: Life Can't Get More Screwed Up**

"Everyone thinks I did it, Mom." Ash told his mother over the video phone. "I believe you sweetie. I know how much you love her." Delia smiled at her son, a tear escaped her eye.

Less than a second afterwards she was pushed out of view by Ash's father "You better have not done it, or your gonna be in big trouble Ash!" his father yelled at him. "I didn't do it. And it's gonna be proved in court." Ash scratched his head.

"Good luck, Ash." his mom blew him a kiss. "Thanks. And thank you Dad, for telling me to go after Misty those years ago." Ash smiled at his dad. "Oh…your welcome." his dad waved to his son and then Ash turned off the video phone.

Misty sat in a wheel chair, with the most dead face a person could have. It was quite awhile after the incident with the baseball bat. "It hurts me to see you like this, Mist." Ash, pushing her around campus. "I'm gonna fix this. I'm gonna make everything ok again. The next life is gonna be sweet. You'll see." Misty still did not respond.

The two were in Misty's room. Misty still in her wheel chair, while Ash sat on the bed, looking through his poke'dex. "Ah, here we are. If I can prevent this. Maybe I can prevent anyone from stopping us from being together."

"Good luck…" Misty wished him. Ash read the entry. "I was in a movie where me and Misty and her sisters had to do something horrible. Mommy made me block out what happens next."

Ash was in a basement now as a seven year old boy. "We'll skip to the part after you save the girls. The part where you have to take turns kissing and being naked with each of them." Misty's uncle described.

"I don't think so." Ash glared at him. "Uh, I!-don't think so. Now take off your clothes." he ordered him. "No way!" Ash yelled, and ran off into another location of the basement.

"Come here you little brat." Ron went after him. He caught up with Ash and turned him around in front of a desk. Ash slammed a hammer in Ron's face, knocking him to the floor. Then he destroyed the camera with the hammer and threw it to the side.

"You little bastard! Your gonna pay for that!" Ron grabbed a hold of Ash. "Dad? Are you down here?" Starn asked, walking down the stairs. He spotted his dad, gripping Ash by the arms.

"What's going on?" Starn asked, confused. "This little punk destroyed my camera! Now listen here. I'm kicking you, and your mother out of my house. And I forbid you from ever coming near my niece again you hear!" Ron yelled at Ash.

* * *

Ash opened his eyes, he was in a very large bed, inside a very large, very nice room. "Morning, Ash." a beautiful girl lying next to him greeted. "And you are…?" Ash asked. "…Stop playing Ashton. It's your girlfriend." she smiled and kissed him on the lips. 

Ash began having flashbacks course through his mind. "Ashton I'm so glad to see you!" a young Misty hugged a young Ash tightly. At seven years old. "You have to stop sneaking over. My uncle's getting mad. And he hits me." now a much mature looking Misty said worriedly, age fourteen. "But I wanna see you Misty."

"Now we're moving away. I told you Uncle Ron was telling the truth, Ashton." Misty said, angry, but inside sad as can be. An image of Ash crying in on the bed in his room flashes.

"Ash is an incredible genius when it comes to Poke'mon competition. What will he do next?" an announcer announced over the speakers as Ash was now a man in his twenties on the battle field.

"Hi I'm Lilly Waterflower." a woman shook Ash's hand. "Ashton Ketchum." Ash replied. A clip of the two making out on a couch flashes in his mind.

"Ashy, stop wasting time. You gotta get to work." Lilly snapped him back into present with a kiss on his cheek. Ash immediately got out of bed and headed out the bedroom.

He began touring the house. Or mansion is more like it. It was huge. "Lilly, where's Misty at?" Ash asked his assumed girlfriend when she came after him. "Are you talking about my sister?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah." "She's living in the ghetto, why?" Lilly replied. "…I'm going to work." Ash finally said after taking a few seconds to think, and opened the front door.

"Without taking a shower?" Lilly asked. "Yes-bye." Ash answered quickly and hopped into his Bentley. Lilly raised her eyebrow and shut the door.

Ash found Misty's location in a phonebook at a pay phone and he was off to her place a second afterwards. He reached her neighborhood. It was a very bad location. Truly the ghetto. "I can't believe Misty lives here."

He parked on the side of a very cheap looking apartment complex and walked into a hallway of the building. There was a poor appearing man lying on the floor sleeping. He walked all the way to the end of the hall and found Misty's door. He knocked three times.

"Can I help you?" Misty opened the door, and then looked down the hall. Ash saw her face was very dirty-like, and she had a scar on her right cheek. A big and ugly one. Her hair was also down, went just past her shoulders.

"Misty?" Ash asked, surprised to see the state she was in. "Ashton…? What are you doing here?" she squinted at him. "I wanted to come see you." Ash smiled.

"Me? Why?" Misty continued squinting. "Cause I…I really care about you. I want to see what your up to. You're my best friend." Ash took his cap off.

"Aww…what a bunch of bull. Come on in." Misty invited him inside and Ash walked in, hurt by her words. The place was a mess. Dirty floor and magazines and newspapers lying all around. Food left out. Misty went to her bed and plopped down on her back. "So, you still fucking my sister Mr. Big Shot?" Misty asked, lighting a cigarette.

"Uh…" Ash nervously "Sorry. I forgot your rich now. You have no sense of humor." Misty blew the smoke out of her mouth. "Misty I'm sorry." Ash apologized.

"For what? For sneaking over to my house all those years ago when my uncle threatened to beat me? And ultimately causing me to live like this?" Misty puffed and blew again.

"I…I can change this." Ash wiped his eyes, filling with emotion. "What are you talking about?" Misty sat up on her bed, her legs crossed.

"I couldn't tell you. You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Ash looked down. "I hear that one all the time. Try me." Misty lit her second cigarette though she was still on her first.

Around twenty five minutes later Ash had finished explaining about the poke'dex and time travel. "You're right Ashton. I don't believe you. Is that your pick up line? Is that how you got my sister to fall in love with you?" Misty asked, bitterly.

"No. you're the only person I've told. And I'm never gonna tell another person, ever." Ash looked down for about the hundredth time that period at Misty's place.

"I heard that one before too." Misty put out her third cigarette and threw it on the floor. "Then how would I know you prefer bacon to chocolate?" Ash looked into her eyes.

Misty shrugged her shoulders "Good guess." "Ok. Well what about the fact that you think tentecruel are the cutest poke'emon? Or that when you have an orgasm your toes go numb?" Ash asked. Misty was speechless.

"And now no matter how perfect my life may be, it's not enjoyable to know your living like this." Ash looked away from her. "Yeah? Why the sudden change of heart?" Misty folded her arms.

"I'm gonna change your life. I'll make sure your with a guy what can give you what you want." Ash wiped developing tears from his eyes, and got up off the bed. "Good!" Misty shouted as Ash opened the door and headed out.

"Cause you aren't giving it to me. Take a look around! Thanks for this shithole, and this carton of cigarettes. Well fuck you Ashton!" Misty threw the carton at the wall.

"Bye Mist." Ash walked down the hall way. "Mist?" Misty raised her eyebrows.

Ash was back at his house, sitting on his bed. He had his poke'dex out. "If life with me is bad for Misty…then maybe life with someone else will work out better." he thought.

He found an entry. "I met this jerk gym leader named Rudy. He really liked Misty." Ash stopped and let a tear fall. "Goodbye Mist." he began reading again "He was trying to steal my girl. I found out that Rudy wanted her to stay with him, but she said 'no." he finished.

He was now standing beside Misty on the beach. Tracy was boarded Lapras, along with Pikachu, waiting for them to get on. "Get on Ash, don't we have to get a move on?" Misty ordered him.

"Wait Mist. Didn't this Rudy guy ask you to stay with him?" Ash asked. "Uh…yeah…he did." Misty shifted her eyes nervously.

"Why don't you stay with him?" Ash asked. "I…I don't know." Misty continued shifting her eyes. "It seems like this guy really likes you."

"Yeah." Misty looked in the direction of Rudy off in the distance with the others. "I think you should stay with him." Ash looked over at them. "What?" Misty raised her eye brows. "I don't want you around anyways. I mean that! Go!" Ash pointed, staring at her with his angry eyes. He could see the confusion and fright in her eyes. "Go! Damn it!" Ash surprised Misty using language he hadn't used in this point of his life.

"Oh…ok…fine then! I will!" Misty ran off to Rudy, crying her eyes out. "Bye Misty. I'll miss you, and I love you." he stood there pointing, another tear of his fell to the sandy beach.

* * *

Ash opened his eyes, and sat up from his lying position. He was lying on a pure wooden bed. He looked around him and saw other men sleeping on wooden beds. "Misty?" Ash asked. 

"She's not in here is she?" Tracy asked. Ash looked beside him to see Tracy lying there. "Ahh!" Ash scooted away from him. "She really got whipped bad last time she snuck over." Tracy said.

"Huh?" Ash was confused, he then began seeing images in his head. "You're not going anywhere!" Rudy yelled. His men grabbed a hold of Ash and Tracy "Let go!" Ash tried to fight his way out of their grip. "Ash!" Misty yelled for Ash, crying in the arms of Rudy.

"Take them to the camp." Rudy ordered his men. "You son-of-a-bitch. You hear me? I'll kill you!" Ash yelled, being taken away.

Ash was back on the uncomfortable bed. "Where are we?" Ash looked at Tracy. "The same place we've been for the past fourteen years." Tracy responded. Then, a loud bell went off, and all the men woke up. They stretched and went outside, and began lining up.

"Come on Ash. Get in line." Tracy waved at Ash, leaving the area. The two went outside and stood in line with the other men.

Ash saw across in the distance a line of girls behind a fence. He spotted Misty in the line. "Ok girls, role call." Rudy began taking role, reading from a list.

"What the hell is going on?" Ash asked his friend. "Shut up Ash. If we're caught talking they'll shoot us." Tracy whispered to him. Ash gulped.

Rudy came over to their side and began taking roll. "Well your all present and accounted for." Rudy finished reading the list. The line of men took a deep sigh of relief. "Except for two men." Rudy said, stopping in his tracks while walking away from the guys.

Every guy in line, except for Ash moaned a horrible and angry moan. "The men missing are Gary Oak and Bryan Anderson." Rudy said, not turning around to face them. "Mori, pick a man to die in place of Gary." Rudy told his sister, standing next to him.

"I hate Conan." Mori pointed at the guy. Rudy's men grabbed Conan and put a blindfold around him. "No. please don't." Conan panicked. Then Ash heard a gun shot coming from Misty's side of the fence and looked over immediately.

Then…Rudy pulled out a gun and pointed it at the bent over Conan. "Goodbye fucker." Rudy shot him in the head. "Holy shit! What's wrong with you!" Ash yelled in his fright.

Rudy then pointed his gun at Ash and shot him in the left foot. "Son-of-a-bitch!" Ash fell to the floor, holding his foot in agony. "It's been awhile since I shot you Ash. What's it been…? Four years? What's up with you today?" Rudy asked, bending down to speak with him.

"Mori. Choose another." Rudy said, stepping away from Ash, whose still in pain. Rudy then cocked his gun. "I'm tired of Ash. He's not a fun boy toy anymore." Mori told her brother.

The men grabbed Ash and placed a blindfold around him, and pushed him down on his knees. "Wait a minute. No. I've gotta find my poke'dex." Ash began panicked. "Too bad. There's a bunch of made up shit in there anyways." Rudy fired the gun.

"Ahh!" Ash screamed and flinched. "I wanted you to hear a shot first, and then cock the gun in your face before I kill you." Rudy laughed evil like. "I have to tell Misty that I love her." Ash bit his lip afterwards.

"A little late Ash. The gun wants to tell you it's in love with you. Love kills." Rudy said, cocking the gun. Ash tensed up. Rudy put his finger on the trigger.

"Wait! don't kill my man, Ash!" the voice of a being up on the rough of the sleeping pin was heard. Everyone looked upwards and saw Bryan standing there, looking down, pointing at Ash.

"What the hell are you doing up there?" Rudy used his hand to shade his eyes of the sun while looking up towards Bryan. "I slept up here last night. All the guys stink, sir." Bryan explained.

"Well too bad, Bryan. I'm killing Ash anyways. Your next." Rudy pointed the gun from Ash to Bryan and back to Ash. "Doooooont!" Bryan screamed, jumping off the rough to protect Ash.

He landed face first on the ground beside Ash and Rudy. Rudy, his mean, and Mori began cracking up. "Oh Bryan, your too funny. I'll free Ash." Rudy took the blindfold off of Ash, stood him up, and pushed him into the line with the other men.

"Thank you, sir." Bryan stood up, and placed a hand behind his head. Rudy smiled…then he lifted his gun upwards and fired it at Bryan's head, blood splattered everywhere, including Ash's shirt. Ash let out a soft scream, in shock could not do much.

Ash is in the kitchen now, washing dishes with Tracy. "Tracy? Where's my poke'dex?" Ash asked, continuing to wash. "It's in the house. I think all our stuff is being stored in one of the bedrooms." Tracy responded, not looking at Ash.

"I've gotta get my poke'dex. If I can get it, I can get us out of here." Ash said. "How?" Tracy asked, the two stopped doing their work.

"Trust me." Ash told him. "Ok, if you KNOW it can free us, I'll help you attain it." Tracy gave him a reassuring smile. "Thanks." Ash smiled back.

"So are we in a poke'mon trainer's slave trade or something?" Ash asked. "Of course. You've been acting so weird today." Tracy went back to doing dishes.

That night, Ash stood at the fence separating the men and the women. He stood there waiting for a certain woman to appear. Then he saw her. It was Misty, and she was taking out the trash to a dumpster not too far from the fence. Ash waited for her to throw away what she needed to throw away before calling her.

"Misty…" Ash called for her, but softly. "Ash? What are you doing over here? Get back to work." Misty pointed behind him, while walking up to the fence.

"Fuck work. I want to see you." Ash tried his hardest to keep his emotions from making him bang the fence with his fists. "They'll kill us if we're seen together again." Misty said nervously, keeping lookout, constantly watching every inch in view.

"You call this together? There's a fucking fence in between us. And besides, it's worth it." Ash said, as close to the fence as one can be. Misty walked closer towards him where her fingers and Ash's became intertwined through the chain link fence.

"This place is disgusting. You know how we're not allowed to breed here? Well Cindy had a baby boy a couple days ago. She had kept him hidden…but Mo, one of the slave masters heard him crying yesterday." Misty became misty eyed.

"Mo pushed clothing out of the way, which was on top of the baby. Cindy went to go protect him. Mo said he'd let her live. But she refused to let her baby be killed. So then she spit in his face. The baby continued crying louder and louder. He put the baby in Cindy's arms and then shot her in the head." Misty began crying. Ash squeezed her fingers as tight as he could for comfort purposes.

"And then he shot the baby, while still in his dead mother's arms on the floor." Misty tried wiping her tears away. Ash also had tears dripping.

"Ash…we need to get out of here. We can't spend our entire lives in this place. We've already spent fourteen years of our lives here." Misty looked away from him, a couple tear drops rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm working on an escape plan." Ash tried to reassure her. "Howse it going?" Misty looked back at him. "If I can just get my poke'dex I could get-" "Stop!" Misty interrupted him.

"Enough of the poke'dex shit Ash! Last time you tried to get it Rudy cut off one of your toes." Misty said, obviously upset in her tone. Ash starred at her with the widest eyes he's ever had.

"Let's work on a real plan." Misty became cooled, looking into Ash's eyes with sad eyes. "Trust me Misty. I know what I'm talking about." Ash put his face right against the face so his nose was sticking through an opening.

A tear fell from the right side of Misty's chin. "I've trusted you for fourteen years. But now I realize your as crazy as Rudy." Misty turned away, and began walking to her arranged sleeping area.

"Misty…" Ash called after her, still stuck up against the fence. She turned around and walked back towards him. She put her face against the fence and found his lips with hers and kissed him for a few seconds.

She stepped backwards a couple steps. "I just don't want to die without tasting your lips." she turned around, and walked away. Ash's eyes filled with tears. "I'm saving you."

* * *

Ash lied on his bed, wide awake, starring at the ceiling. "Tracy?" Ash asked. "What?" Tracy softly replied, his eyes still closed. "When are we gonna try and get my poke'dex?" Ash rolled over to look at Tracy. 

"When are you gonna learn Ash?" Tracy turned to face him "I only told you I was gonna help you so you'd be quiet and we don't get in trouble."

"What?" Ash sat up in his bed, not taking his glare off Tracy. "There's no way in the men's or the woman's slave prison I'd ever help you. I'm gonna get out a different way. A way that works." Tracy turned back around. Ash couldn't believe his friend was acting this way.

The next day, before noon, Ash and Tracy are back washing dishes. After much silence, Ash threw a plate against the wall in frustration and it shattered. "Calm down Ash and do the work." Tracy began scrubbing harder. "Fuck you!" Ash got down and sat against the wall.

Then Tracy noticed something going on outside and ran up to the window. Ash followed him. They saw a scatter of slaves running, and guards retrieving them. "I think some of the slaves are trying to escape." Tracy said, and went back to doing the dishes.

Ash and Tracy were both standing by Misty now. All the men and women were together in a cluster starring ahead at some men standing in a line. Rudy stood in between the two.

"Two men have managed to escape from this island. Thirteen other men have now been inspired by their escape. So now these men will all die today. And you slaves will all watch. There will be no more escape attempts in this camp…there will be no more escape attempts in this camp!" Rudy yelled in the face of one of the men.

Ash and Misty took each other's hands on instinct, not even looking at each other. "Now you thirteen men, will each select another slave to die with you. Twenty six will die today." Rudy announced. The slaves and the men were stunned silent.

"Well go…go select your partner in death." Rudy motioned for them to do so with his hands. They just stood there, some with their eyes closed, some crying. "I said go select a person to die with you!" Rudy yelled.

"We wont do it. We will never do it." one of the thirteen said. Rudy walked all the way around the line of men until he was on the opposite side he'd been a moment ago.

"This is simple math…if you thirteen men do not select thirteen people to die with you…

…then I will select…fifty." he faced away from them. Everyone became more shocked. "So thirteen…or fifty…?" Rudy still faced away. The men continued standing. Ash couldn't believe a word Rudy had spoken…

(To Be Continued…)

_Thirteen…or fifty? Find out come Chapter Five_


	5. Figment of Imagination

**Time After Time**

**Chapter Five: Figment of Imagination**

- "Two men have managed to escape from this island. Thirteen other men have now been inspired by their escape. So now these men will all die today. And you slaves will all watch. There will be no more escape attempts in this camp…there will be no more escape attempts in this camp!" Rudy yelled in the face of one of the men.

Ash and Misty took each other's hands on instinct, not even looking at each other. "Now you thirteen men, will each select another slave to die with you. Twenty sex will die today." Rudy announced. The slaves and the men were stunned silent.

"Well go…go select your partner in death." Rudy motioned for them to do so with his hands. They just stood there, some with their eyes closed, some crying. "I said go select a person to die with you!" Rudy yelled.

"We wont do it. We will never do it." one of the thirteen said. Rudy walked all the way around the line of men until he was on the opposite side he'd been a moment ago.

"This is simple math…if you thirteen men do not select thirteen people to die with you…

…then I will select…fifty." he faced away from them. Everyone became more shocked. "So thirteen…or fifty…?" Rudy still faced away. The men continued standing. Ash couldn't believe a word Rudy had spoken…

'I can't believe this." Ash thought. The men just stood there, emotionless for about a minute. Then one of the men stepped out of line to go select someone. He walked up to one of the slaves and placed his right hand on the guy's left shoulder.

The slave's expression turned sad. "I'm sorry." he told him. The other men in line began to slowly join him in selecting a partner. Then…one of them caused Tracy to turn around and look one of the men in the eyes as he had a hand placed onHIS shoulder.

"Tracy…" Ash extended his hand as if to grab him as the man walked Tracy into the line to join the other men. There was only one man left in line who hadn't picked a partner yet.

After a while, he stepped out…he walked towards Ash and Misty. He walked up right in front of them. And put his left hand against Misty's right cheek. "No! take me." squeezed Misty's hand tighter.

"No, he selected Misty." Rudy said, as he walked over to them and grabbed Misty's left arm. "Goodbye…Ash." Misty began crying.

"Misty…" Ash said softly as their hands were pulled apart while Rudy pulled Misty into the line of death. Ash closed his eyes immediately.

Rudy walked out in front of the twenty six to die. "You slaves will all watch these people die today. So you remember who owns you. If I find anyone closing their eyes or looking away…then you will join these twenty six in death." he finished and walked over to Ash, and forced his chin up. And held his head looking forward.

"Ready…!" Rudy yelled. "Avenge us!" a man yelled in the line "Kill!" Rudy shouted and a machine gun that was set up in front of them, went off, as Rudy's assistant fired it at the slaves. They all fell to the ground, dead. In just seconds. The only thing left moving was their blood, dripping from their bodies, and the wall behind them.

Ash began breathing heavily, and Rudy separated from him. "Now enough break. Get back to work!" he pushed a slave to the side as he walked by.

* * *

That night…Ash lied in his bed alone. "Tonight. It's either tonight or another night. And I can't wait any longer." he said to himself, and then got up off his hard wooden bed. He snuck around to Rudy's premises where he found an open window to crawl through. He did it with ease. 

He was inside the kitchen. He spotted a hallway that he decided to gothrough straight ahead. To his right however, was Rudy. And he was being mobbed by about ten beautiful women, in bikinis. Ash basically crawled down on the floor to sneak by.

Ash searched through the large hallway with many doors. Until he found what he was looking for. A sign on the door read "Slave Crap." he opened the door and went inside. It looked just like a storage room. Their were boxes piled up through out the room. And there were photos of the slaves tacked all over the walls.

He began searching for the box that would have his stuff. Ten minutes later, he finally found his box with his name written across the top in black. He opened up the box and began searching for his poke'dex.

He reached in and pulled out the seashell Misty gave him for his fifth birthday. Then, he began having images play through his head.

"I think you should stay with him." Ash said. "What?" Misty asked. "I don't want you around anyways. I mean that (that echoes)" "Fine then! I will!(I will echoes)" Misty runs off crying towards Rudy.

"Goodbye…Ash." Misty's eyes fill with tears as she's pulled away from Ash. "Misty…"

"Nah it's just a kid. Oh and a poke'mon. are you ok?" Misty asked, bent down beside him and Pikachu. "Yeah." Ash answered.

"Not you!(echoes)" Misty slapped him on the face. "Hey that's my bike." Misty said, as Ash rode off with it. "I'll bring it back someday(someday echoes)" Ash shouts as he continues riding.

Ash snapped out of it, and found himself back in the storage room. He looked down in the box and saw his poke'dex. He takes it out and stuffs it in his pocket. He then exited the room…and then turned around and entered a weapon room.

"Hey Rudy!" Ash startled him as he stepped into the living room. "How the hell did you get in here!" Rudy stood up and the girls backed away from him.

"Shut the FUCK up! Now I know it wont matter if I do this now. But I'm gonna regret it the rest of my lives if I don't." Ash pulled a gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Rudy. Rudy went wide eyed, before getting shot in the chest and falling to the ground. The women screamed with the thud of his body hitting the floor.

* * *

Ash threw the gun away, and took out his poke'dex. "I let my love go without telling her how I felt about her. I'm so in love with Misty. I wanted to tell her. But every time I opened my mouth the wrong thing came out. I promised her we'd see each other again…when that day comes I will tell her how in love with her I am." Ash read the entry and he was standing out side on a dirt road. 

"Are you sure you'll be ok without me Ash?" Misty asked him. "Huh?" Ash questioned. "WILL YOU BE OK WITH-" "Yes." Ash interrupted her repeat.

"Ok then, bye." Misty waved her hand, as she sat on her bike. "So long." Brock also waved, and the two both headed down their own path home.

Ash watched as Misty rode her bike down the path. "This is it. If I don't tell her now. I could lose my shot forever. I'm going after her, Pikachu. Wait here." Ash pointed to the ground.

Ash began running after Misty, who was pretty far away by now. "Pikachu, pika pi." Pikachu wished him good luck.

"Misty! Wait!" Ash shouted, as he ran. Misty did not hear him. "Misty! Hold up!" Ash continued to yell. Misty heard him this time and turned to look behind her, while still pedaling her bike.

"Ash?" Misty suddenly flipped over on her bike, as the front tire hit a large rock on the path, and landed awkwardly on her head. "Misty!" Ash yelled out in fright of the horrible accident.

Ash opened his eyes, and found himself sitting in a chair in a living room. "Hello?…Misty?" Ash asked hopingly. He heard a squeaking sound coming his way. Then he saw the reason for the sound as Misty entered the room.

"Yes Ash?" she responded. Ash was stunned to see her in a wheel chair. "Misty?" he began to see the images that took place before this time.

"What's her status doctor." Brock asked. "Is she ok?" Ash asked the doctor in a hospital waiting room. "She has very serious nerve damage. She's in a coma right now." a doctor told the guys.

Ash was on his knees next to an unconscious Misty on her hospital bed. "Misty I'm sorry." Ash closed his eyes. "Her memory loss is great. And she may never be able to walk again." a doctor told him.

"Damn it!" Ash drove his fist into a wall. "I'll take care of her. She's my responsibility. I'll take over the gym, whatever it takes." Ash offered. "You'd surrender your poke'mon adventure?" Brock asked, surprised. "For her I would." Ash looked away.

Ash found himself back in the chair. "Misty…I'm sorry." he apologized to her. "For what?" she asked. "For doing this to you." he said. "Doing what?" she asked.

"For putting you in a wheel chair." he said. "Huh?" she was confused. "Oh my god…why?" Ash asked himself. Tears ran down his cheeks.

"I'm hungry Ash." Misty rubbed her stomach. "Ok, ok Misty." Ash wiped the tears away. "I'm hungry." she repeated. But more tears ran down his cheeks.

The two were now eating at the dining room table. "Misty…do you know where my poke'dex is?" he asked. After she took some more bites of her orange chicken she replied with a "What?"

"Do you know what a poke'dex is?" he asked. "No." she responded after more bites of her food. Ash put his hands on his head in frustration and sadness.

"This is good. Mmm." Misty was obviously satisfied with her food, then she asked Ash "Can you take me to the pool today? I'd like to see the poke'mon play." "Ok. Whatever you want." Ash pushed his plate forward, for he could not bare to eat at that moment.

That night when Misty and Pikachu were sound asleep, Ash walked into Misty's room. Pikachu was lying beside Misty in her bed. Ash patted Pikachu on the head, and leaned down to give Misty a kiss on the lips.

"Ash…" Misty said softly as he walked away, and caused him to turn around. "yes, Mist?" Ash walked over to her bed and sat down. Then he took her hand. "I love you. I should have told you along time ago. But I love you. I want you to know the truth." she said, not opening her eyes.

"She's dreaming." Ash realized. "I love you too Misty." he said as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Don't cry Ash." Misty reached up and wiped the tear off his face. "Kiss me…" she ordered, in a nice way of course.

Ash bent down to do so. He placed his lips on hers, and she kissed back. It lasted for a few sensual seconds. Then, Ash got up, and walked out of her room.

Ash now was inside the Cerulean Gym. He sat on the edge of the diving board high above the pool below. "Every time I try and change the past, things get worse. Nothing can go right…isn't there a way I can make everything good?" Ash asked. "There has to be." he looked up at the stars through the glass ceiling above, and lied backwards on the diving board. "Maybe if I wasn't such an idiot, things would be ok…yeah, that's it." he smiled as he thought of his plan.

* * *

The next morning, Ash began looking through his drawers in his room. He soon found his poke'dex. "If I can go back and stop that accident…I could push my mom out of the way while saving my self in the process." he thought. 

He began reading the entry he wanted. "I got all A's on my report card again. So Mommy is going to take me out to do something special tonight. I don't know what it is exactly. She says it's a 'surprise.' he finished and his travel backwards began.

He was bent down tying his shoes. He looked up and saw his mom in the center of the street. He looked to the right, and saw the car coming at full speed.

"Mom! Look out!" he yelled. But she was lost in her thoughts and did not hear him. It was time for him to make his move. He got up off his knee and started running towards his mother. But…that all came crashing down as Ash had tripped…over his own untied shoe lace and hit the street with a loud thud.

He yelled out in pain. Delia continued on…and so toodid the car. "No!" Ash screamed, attempting to get up. But it was too late…the car smacked her with a brutal force. Everything goes black…

* * *

…and now white. A shift from white, to a wall filled with pictures, drawings. Ash looked around, he was scared and confused. "Now what?" the images of the prior events played in his mind. 

"Are you sure you want to be his foster parent?" a man asked. "Absolutely. It's what Delia would have wanted." Professor Oak told him.

"Come on Ash." Oak tried to get Ash to get off the couch. "I miss Mom." Ash said. "I know."

Ash was crying. "It's all my fault." Ash now stood by a waterfall. He looked down and jumped into the river.

Misty saw the scene from the shore. "What does that boy think he's doing?"shestood up… "Oh my god, he's not coming up." she dove into the river and pulled him out. After she dragged him to land, she gave him CPR.

He opened his eyes. "Are you ok?" Misty asked, wiping a tear from her eyes. "Are you an angel?" Ash asked. "No."

"Am I dead?" "No." Misty responded. "Why did you save me!" he sat up, and yelled at her. "Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem." she said.

"What have we got here?" a man in white asked. "This boy tried to commit suicide." Misty explained. "I feel it's my duty to tend to him. I don't know why. But I want to help him recover." Misty said.

Ash now was wearing all white, and drawing pictures at a desk. "What are you drawing?" Misty asked, coming up behind him. "You, my mom…a seashell, and a poke'dex." he responded.

Ash found himself back in the white room with the drawings. He looked under his bed, nothing there. He then went through his drawers, nothing there. And then searched through his desk beside the bed, nothing there but pencils and paper.

He opened the door to the room and walked out into a white hall way. There were a few people walking by in the same outfit Ash had on. White. One girl walked by, using profanity. "Fuck, fuck. Son of a bitch. Shit."

Ash stared at the strange people in the hall. One man was walking in circles, and another was sitting Indian style on the floor. Another was walking back and fourth.

The answer to where he was came to the right side of him. He gazed at a framed picture on the wall that showed a white building with the words 'Viridian Mental Institution.' below it. "Son-of-a-bitch."

He heard a conversation going on directly behind him. He turned around and looked through the window in the door. A doctor that had appeared in his images was seen inside. Ash immediately charged on in.

"Ash? What are you doing? I'm busy at the moment."he told him, holding a folder in his hand. Ash noticed a couple other doctors in the room that he had been talking to. One of them was Misty.

"Where is my poke'dex?" Ash asked, not moving from the spot he stood. "What?" the doc raised his eyebrows. "My poke'dex. Where is it?" Ash asked again, pointing at him.

"I don't know what your talking about, Ash." he responded. "I know you have it. Your not gonna hide it from me! Where is it! I want it now!" Ash yelled, spitting in his anger.

The doctor sighed. "Jesus. It hurts me to go through this again. You were never a poke'mon trainer. There is no poke'dex…there never was. The poke'dex is a figment of your imagination to cope with the death of your mother." the doctor explained.

Ash went into shock. "No…"

**And that's the way the chapter crumbles. How can Ash change any more events without his poke'dex? The conclusion is next. Happy? Sad? Find out…next.**


	6. THE WALLS

**Time After Time**

**Chapter Six: The Walls**

**This is the final chapter of "Time After Time." This is where the conclusion takes place. Hopefully you will find the ending attractive. When I go over this story it's too similar to the movie I based it on, based on lines and events. I don't like that fact, I like to be original. So good news for those of you who have seen "The Butterfly Effect." And for any of you actually. I've brainstormed a new and ORIGINAL story that I'm very excited about writing. It took awhile to fill the plot holes, but I've done it and I'm now ready to get it out their for your reading pleasure. A preview of that story will be given at the end of this one. And for those of you reading "High Spirit" I would love to complete that one. It's not a primary story for me though, I do however plan to get the next chapter out, maybe I'll put out chapter two before I start on my other story. And for "The Rocket War" I don't know. I have to try and get back Into that one. I'll try. Anyhoo, read away…and review afterwards.**

"Ash? What are you doing? I'm busy at the moment." the doctor told him, holding a folder in his hand. Ash noticed a couple other doctors in the room that he had been talking to. One of them was Misty.

"Where is my poke'dex?" Ash asked. "What?" the doctor raised his eyebrows. "My poke'dex. Where is it?" Ash asked again, pointing at him.

"I don't know what your talking about, Ash." he responded. "I know you have it. Your not gonna hide it from me! Where is it! I want it now!" Ash yelled, spitting in his anger.

The doctor sighed. "Jesus. It hurts me to go through this again…You were never a poke'mon trainer. There is no poke'dex…there never was. The poke'dex is a figment of your imagination to cope with the death of your mother." the doctor explained.

Ash went into shock. "No…" "I'm sorry." the doctor apologized.

"Ash. It's ok." Misty walked over to him and placed a hand on his left shoulder. He turned to look at her "No it's not." then he walked away from her and out the door.

As Ash walked back to his room. He noticed a couple other rooms along the way. Including a computer lab and a storage room.

Ash laid on his bed, his hands behind his head. He starred at the white ceiling above him. The silence was broken when a firm knock at the door was heard. The knocker didn't wait for Ash's reply however, as Misty walked into the room.

"You ok, Ash?" she asked. "No." Ash sat up. "What's wrong?" she asked, and then walked over to the bed and took a seat next to him.

"Everything. This isn't what was suppose to happen." Ash looked down and frowned. "What do you mean?"

"…My mom wasn't suppose to die. I was suppose to save both of us. That way I'd have a brilliant mind to get me through life on an easier level." he tried to explain to her.

"What are you talking about?" Misty asked. "…Forget it. I don't know." he looked away, saddened.

"That's why your in here, you've no clue." Misty laughed. "Ha ha." Ash laughed sarcastically.

"I know what would get you up and about. Let's go out to dinner, maybe play a little pool." she suggested. "No thanks."

"Come on." Misty pulled him off the bed by his arm. "Ahh."

* * *

The two sat in a restaurant. "Why are you working at the hospital, Misty?" Ash asked. "Again, Ash? Very well. I felt it was and still is my duty to make sure your okay and continue living. that's why, Mr. Ketchum." she smiled. 

"I thought you wanted to be a great water pokemon master?" "Those days are over. It's forgotten." she responded, and took a sip of beer.

"I just feel so bad for you doing what you do." Ash admitted. "And I you. And also…never once have you told me that in fifteen years. You've been acting so weird today." Misty was puzzled.

"By weird do you mean sane?" Ash asked. "…Yes." she smiled with a soft giggle escaping. "So I've never once told you I feel bad for you?" he asked.

Misty laughed. "No…you always blamed your problems on me. You told me it was my fault your in the hospital. My fault your suicidal, and my fault your mother died." she smiled again. She began a flashback from just last night.

"Ash, stop." "No! it's all your fault you bitch! Stay the fuck away from me!" Ash slammed his door.

"Oh…I'm sorry." Ash apologized. "Not once have you ever apologized to me." Misty laughed, a tear of happiness escaped her eye.

"Well now I have. And I mean it. I'll do it more often too." he told her, smiling back.

"Well you can find all the answers on the wall to the things you've done to me so you can apologize for them." she winked.

"The drawings?" he asked. "Yeah. You'll find what your looking for on the walls." she winked again.

"May I take your order?" a waitress interrupted their conversation. "I'll have a hamburger!" Ash ordered immediately.

"Wow. You've never ordered so quickly, nor a hamburger." Misty was surprised. "I'm living a new life today." Ash smiled. "I know." she smiled back.

* * *

The two were back in Ash's room in the hospital. "Is there anything I can get you before bed?" Misty winked yet again. "Yeah…what do I have in storage?" Ash asked. 

"A seashell." Misty laughed. "Something of use." he responded, kind of in an upset tone.

"I don't know. I can show you." she said. "Show me."

The storage room door opened and the two walked inside. Misty took his box down from a shelf at the back of the room, straight away from the door. She sat it down to the left and Ash immediately ripped it open and began searching.

There wasn't much. He pulled out some clothes, the seashell, and…his old journals. "Ok, I've got what I was looking for." he winked at her. She winked back, and placed his box back on to the shelf.

Ash laid in bed reading his old journal entries. But that didn't work. "Damn it!" he crumpled up the pages, and threw them on the floor. 'I'm stuck here." he realized.

Ash flipped the book and noticed some words on the very last page. In blue ink, read "THE WALLS." He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He ignored it and flipped it back over to the front.

He took out a pen and began writing on an empty page. "I'm in a mental hospital. I have no poke'dex. My journals don't work. Is this it? Is this the life I was meant to live? There has to be a way out of this." he finished.

Then, Ash noticed blood coming out of a wound in his foot. The same foot where he stepped on the seashell and in the exact same spot. "But…I thought I did that in a different life." he was puzzled.

* * *

24 hours later…Ash and Misty sat on one of the three couches in the TV room of the mental hospital. They were watching Scrubs. "J.D gets me so hot." Misty squealed, and then laughed. 

"Misty, why are you still here?" Ash ignored the show. "Huh?" "Do you live here with the crazy?" he asked.

Misty laughed. To Ash, it seemed like she was always jolly, always laughing. "No. I've got my own house and a life outside this place. But I work all day Tuesdays. You know that." she responded with more laughing coming at the end of her response.

"Right." Ash nodded. They continued watching the show in silence. When it ended, Ash was the first to speak.

"You seem to only hang out with me. Am I the least crazy person here?" he asked. "You're my main patient. The reason I'm here." she explained.

"I'm sorry." Ash apologized. "Stop apologizing. Things are fine." she told him. "No they're not. I'm keeping us both locked away here."

"Ash, stop." she told him. "I can't. and I can't change anything anymore. And in that case there's something I need to tell you…" he calmed.

"Yes…" Misty looked into his eyes. "Misty…I'm in love with you. I have been for fifteen years and I can't deny it any longer." he finally admitted. "Ash…it can't work." she looked away, fixing her eyes back to the TV.

"Misty please. I am so in love with you. I'm not really a crazy person. Stamp me with a 'sane' stamp and let's get out of here. We'll get married, have babies, watch them grow, and die an old couple together." he pleaded her, his eyes becoming misty.

Misty let tears of her own drip down her cheeks. Ash wiped the tears away…and leaned in to kiss her. They shared for a few seconds before Ash lied them both down on to the couch. There they made out with passion for several minutes. Then Misty lifted her head up to stop the kissing. Ash did not stop, as he continued kissing her neck.

"I have a boyfriend…" Misty broke the moment up. Ash stopped…and got up off of her. "Oh…" he became very sad and very cold.

"I'm sorry." Misty apologized. There was an awkward silence. Then she got up off the couch. "I have to go." she left the room, leaving Ash stunned once again.

Ash went to bed crying that night. He cried for hours, before finally resting his eyes.

_I'm alone _

_Yeah, I don't know if I can face the night _  
_I'm in tears and the cryin' that I do is for you  
I want your love - Let's break the walls between us  
Don't make it tough - I'll put away my pride  
Enough's enough I've suffered and I've seen the light _

_  
Baby  
You're my angel  
Come and save me tonight  
You're my angel  
Come and make it all right _

Don't know what I'm gonna do  
About this feeling inside  
Yes it's true - Loneliness took me for a ride  
Without your love - I'm nothing but a begger  
Without your love - a dog without a bone  
What can I do I'm sleeping in this bed alone

Baby  
You're my angel  
Come and save me tonight  
You're my angel  
Come and make it all right

(- "Angel" by Aerosmith-)

* * *

Ash sat in bed in the morning after he woke up. He pressed the signal button to summon Misty. Not long after a man in white walked in. "Yes, Number 0-3-4-8?" he asked, a white folder in his arms. 

"Where's Misty?" Ash asked, confused. "You know she doesn't work on Wednesdays. Now what do you want?" he asked.

"Could you get me a muffin?" Ash randomly asked, because he did not expect anyone else to respond to his call other than Misty.

Five minutes later the man returned with a muffin and handed it to Ash. When the man left, Ash placed the muffin down on his bed and revealed to us the man's keys that Ash had swiped swiftly.

He snuck out of his room and walked down the hall. He came to the room he was looking for. It was the computer lab. He unlocked the door with the key and walked in. he turned on a computer in the front row and clicked on Internet Explorer. He frowned however, when it asked for his ID and password.

He entered his ID number first, 0348. All Ash could do now was guess his password. His first guess was 'Misty' and it would be the right guess. He went to Google and typed in his search: "Brock Slate"

A few results popped up, along with pop ups about 'Poke'mon Breeding.' One article caught his eye.

"Pewter City Gym Leader to be replaced by brother." He read into it. "Pewter City's long time gym leader Brock Slate is killed in the collapse of his own gym." that line made Ash's blood run cold.

"Oh my god…this can't be it. Everyone's lives are still screwed up." he denied the life he was living.

The door to the lab opened and there stood a security guard. "Hey! You know you can't be in here! Come with me!" the guard grabbed Ash by the arm and pulled him out the door.

Ash now stood back in the head doctor's office in between the doctor and the security guard, his head down. "Well Ash, you've really been acting in a very interesting manner the last couple days. This morning is no exception. But unfortunately I am going to have to punish you for your behavior."

Ash raised his head to look at the head and male doctor speaking. "You will be sent to your room where you may not exit for any purpose but to use the bathroom." the doctor described his punishment.

"What! That's not fair!" Ash argued. "Don't raise your voice Ash. You'll do as told." "I'm not ten years old anymore. I'm twenty-five damn it!" Ash raised his voice now.

"As long as your in this facility your no more a mature adult than something-something. Look, I'm very busy right now. Take him away." the doctor ordered the guard. Ash was quickly taken to his room by the guard.

Ash sat on his bed, looking at a photo of Misty and himself on the desk. He picked up the framed photo and wiped his hand over the photo. Then, he threw it at the wall, the glass shattered.

"Fuck!" he began banging his fists against the mattress of his bed. "Fuck this shit!" Ash traded his fists with his head, continuously banging his crown against the mattress.

When Ash deceased from throwing the fit, he noticed his journal on the floor beside the bed. He picked it up and noticed the last page again. Which read "THE WALLS" in blue ink. Ash began thinking…a flashback in his head got him thinking about his next actions

"you can find all the answers on the wall." Misty told him. "The drawings?" Ash asked. "You'll find what your looking for." she continued.

Ash snapped out of the flashback. He examined the many drawings on the wall he had drawn. He noticed one of Misty standing next to her bike. He started having more flashback visuals.

"That's my bike!" Misty shouted. "I'll bring it back some day." Ash said, facing back as he pedaled off.

"My bike. I'm holding you responsible for my bike." Misty said nervously. "It's cause of this bike that I met Ash." Misty said, walking her bike with Togepii inside the basket. "I'm only staying with you because you still owe me a bike." she told him, her arms crossed.

Ash turned his attention to another drawing. It was the one with his mom, Misty, the seashell, and the poke'dex. "What are you drawing?" Misty asked, leaned over. "My mom, you, a seashell…" the flashback played.

"That's it!" Ash jumped up excited as he had discovered an answer.

* * *

A calendar on Ash's wall revealed it was a Thursday in May and his alarm clock down on the shelf revealed it was three PM. He picked up the assist button and summoned Misty. 

Misty arrived shortly with her ever present smile. "What's up Ash?" she asked, taking a seat next to him on the bed. "I see you got in trouble."

"Yeah." he answered. 'If I can steal her key I can get out of here.' he thought to himself.

"So what do you want?" she asked. "Uh…I just wanted a hug from you." "Oh…ok. Very well then." Misty smiled and the two both hugged.

Ash reached down to her hips to grab the key he had seen on her belt earlier. But he found his hands exploring her lower, as the key could not be felt. Misty pulled away, startled.

"Ash I told you we're not happening." she reminded him. "Sorry." Ash apologized. "You've got naughty hands…now I have to go do some paper work. I'll pay another visit later." she said, and headed out the room. "Bye." she waved before exiting the door.

"Damn. Her key was there. Where did it go?" he was confused. He sighed and fell back wards on his bed. But instead of a soft landing, there was instant pain in his back. "Son-of-a-bitch."

He put a hand beneath him and pulled out the object that caused his pain. It was a key chain, round with little spikes, blue in color. And on the chain was a key. "She dropped it." Ash realized.

* * *

His clock now read 11:59PM…and now 12:00AM. He picked up the key, ready to go. "Ok. Here I go. This is it. If it doesn't work, I'll be portrayed more crazy than I am now. So here I go, here I go." he unlocked his door, and opened it. He stepped out into the dark empty hall, and walked down it. 

_I will dedicate  
And sacrifice my everything for just a second's worth  
Of my story's ending  
And I wish I could know if the directions that I take  
And all the choices that I make won't end up all for nothing_

_Show me what it's for  
Make me understand it_

_I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer  
Is there something more than what I've been handed?  
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer_

He continued walking down the hall. When a door opened and out walked an officer. "Hey! Where the hell do you think your going!" the officer asked, standing less than ten feet away from him.

"Eh…huh!" Ash chucked a muffin at the officer and took off running the direction he came from. The officer started after him, and pulled out his walkie. "I've got a C! repeat. C1 in H7, requesting assistance." The officer called for back up.

_Help me carry on  
Assure me it's ok to use my heart and not my eyes  
To navigate the darkness  
Will the ending be ever coming suddenly?  
Will I ever get to see the ending to my story?_

_Show me what it's for  
Make me understand it_

_I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer  
Is there something more than what I've been handed?  
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer_

Many more guards and officers joined the chase on Ash. Fortunately Ash had a large lead. He reached his destination, also. The storage room. He unlocked the door and went inside. He pushed heavy boxes on the floor in front of the door to block anybody from coming in.

_(So when and how will I know?)  
How much further do I have to go?  
And how much longer till I finally know?  
Because I'm looking and I just can't see what's in front of me  
In front of me_

_Show me what it's for  
Make me understand it_

_I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer  
Is there something more than what I've been handed?  
I've been crawling in the dark looking for the answer_  
('Crawling in the Dark' by Hoobastank)

The rest of the party caught up with Ash, who was already inside the room. "Get out of there you crazy bastard!" the guard began banging on the door, other men trying to push the door open.

Soon Dr. Brown(that head doctor, a little late for a name intro, huh? Oh well) and Misty arrived at the scene. "Wait. don't. let me talk to him." Misty pleaded to the men.

Ash, meanwhile inside was trying to find his box up on the shelf. But he could not find it, as it was missing from the shelf. "What the hell? The climax isn't gonna be very exciting without it." he said, with his teeth together.

"Ash. You can do it. I believe in you." he heard Misty say on the other side of the door. Ash looked down to his left where his box sat with a note atop it. He kneeled down to the box.

He picked up the note and read it. "Ash: I'm terribly sorry for everything that has happened. I know. I believe in you. I know you have the ability to alter our lives. I could never come out and tell you there was another way to do that. The reason being my boyfriend wouldn't let me because he didn't want to lose me. But you need to do this. I believe you can make life better for us. So I've lead you here. Good luck. Love Misty."

The writing was in blue ink, and the same hand writing from his journal. "THE WALLS." "You'll find what your looking for on the wall." Misty told him. "I'm living a new life today." Ash told her. "I know." Misty responded with a smile. We see in the flashback, Misty placing the key behind Ash when the two sat on the bed.

"She knew all along…" Ash reached into the box and held the seashell in his hand. His flashbacks started yet again.

"Just hold the seashell I gave you. It will remind you of the good times we shared." a very young Misty told him.

"I want to go back in time. Go back to crucial moments in my life. Maybe change them for the better." Ash told his room mate, Bryan.

"I wish I could change my life and make it better for Misty and myself." Ash said on a shooting star. Thousands more followed afterwards.

"The next life is gonna be sweet. You'll see." Ash told her "I'm gonna change your life." he said.

"Take a look around. Thanks for this shit hole!" Misty yelled at him.

"Every time I change the past things get worse." he said, sitting up on the diving board in the Cerulean Gym.

"You'll find what your looking for." Misty told him, the two sitting at a restaurant table. "Sorry." Ash apologized.

"I just want something special." a five year old Ash answered a seven year old Misty. "Here you to. Hope it's special." Misty handed him a seashell and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll see you again." Ash held up the piece of paper with those words for Misty to see through the car window as he was driven off.

"I'm only staying with you cause you still owe me a bike." she crossed her arms. "Misty…your bike's there." Ash looked back in the direction of her bike…

* * *

The flashbacks had ended, and he now felt his surroundings. He was under water, struggling to breathe. Then, a tug at his shirt soon ended his struggle as he was pulled from the water onto the shore. 

"Nah, it's just a kid. Ooh and a poke'mon. oh are you ok?" she asked. "I think so. He's breathing." Ash looked down to the pikachu in his arms.

"Well you have to get it to a poke'mon center right away." she told him, the two both standing, facing each other. "Ok I will." he looked in the direction of Viridian City…and then turned his attention on Misty's bike.

He ran over to it, and placed a hand on one of the handle bars. "What are you doing?" Misty asked him, getting ready to explode with rage.

Ash looked at the bike, and then into Misty's eyes. He watched her for a few seconds, and then looked back down to the bike. Then he pushed the bike down to the ground, and ran off towards the center.

"Hey!" Misty yelled, running to her bike. "I'll see you again!" Ash shouted as he ran off, not looking back, for the spearow's were near. Misty raised her eyebrows "What a weird kid."

Ash continued running with Pikachu badly hurt in his arms. "This is for the best. I guess." he cried, still running. The spearows hot on his tail…

* * *

...Ash opened his eyes. He faced a white wall with a framed picture of him and his poke'mon. he had many more poke'mon than he used to have, including a dragonite. He looked down beside him and saw Pikachu sleeping. He heard a noise behind him and turned around. 

His eyes were greeted by Brock, sitting on a chair not far from his bed. He was tying his shoes. "Hey, your awake. You gotta go get some breakfast and then get ready for your battle." Brock told him, finishing the tying of his shoes.

"Huh?" Ash was confused for the millionth time in a short time. "Just get dressed." Brock got up and went to the window. Ash began seeing images of the prior events in his life.

"Your pikachu is as good as new." Nurse Joey smiled at him. "Thanks, Nurse Joy." he thanked her. "Have you seen that poster?" she asked him, looking at a poster on the wall behind him.

It was the Pokemon League poster. "All right!" Ash clenched his fists, ready to take it on.

"Here's your Boulder Badge, Ash." Brock handed him the badge. "All right!" Ash held it up, to show it off.

"I wish I could travel on my own pokemon journey and get some fresh air." Brock told Ash, the two situated by a river. "Now you can, Brock." Flint, his father approached them.

"Wanna come traveling with me?" Ash asked. "That would be awesome." Brock nodded, and the two shook hands.

"Like you've finally proved yourself worthy as a great water pokemon trainer, Misty." Daisy complemented her little sister. "Thanks." Misty smiled.

"We should go into the pokemon agent business, Misty." Starn suggested. "Ok." Misty smiled once again in her response.

"And Ash will advance to the final match to try and claim his Pokemon Master title." the announcer broadcasted over the speakers of the stadium after Ash's victory. "Congratulations, Ash." Brock greeted him with a hug.

Ash snapped back into his bed when Brock shook him softly. "You ok? You haven't said anything in awhile." "Where's Misty?" Ash asked his friend.

"…Huh?…whose Misty?" Brock puzzled. Ash froze when Brock asked the question. "You bring home so many girls I forgot most their names. Except for Denise and Katie." Brock smiled.

Ash saw a poster on the door that read 'Pokemon League Finals Trainer Hotel Paradise.' then he noticed a piece of paper on a desk. He got out of bed and walked over to it. He unfolded the sheet, it read 'I'll see you again.'

_Hold up…  
Hold on…_

"Well are you gonna get ready?" Brock asked, getting impatient with his friend. "Yeah. In a sec." Ash waved him off. He found his poke'dex in a drawer and put it in his pocket.

_Don't be scared  
You'll never change what's been and gone_

The two stood outside in front of a trash can. Ash took out his poke'dex and threw it into the trash can. He pulled out a lighter next, preparing to light the can on fire.

"You sure about this? You'll lose all your poke'mon info." Brock reminded him. Ash smiled… "I'm losing more than just that." he lit the contents on fire, and they watched it burn.

_May your smile (may your smile)  
Shine on (shine on)_

Ash walked out of a restaurant, into a crowd of people walking along the sidewalk. He held a cell phone close to his ear. "No. no. yes. You'll be here then? Promise? Ok. I love you too Mom." Ash pushed 'end' while struggling to walk through the crowd, bumping into people.

_Don't be scared (don't be scared)  
Your destiny may keep you warm_

Then he bumped into a woman, causing the two to both drop their cell phones. "Hey! Watch where your going ass hole!" the long haired red headed woman yelled at him. "Sorry." he apologized.

The two leaned down to get their phones. Ash watched the woman walk off with her phone. He picked up his and turned around to his destination. He looked at the photo on the cover of the phone and realized he had the wrong phone. The photo showed a picture of that familiar seashell Misty gave him as a child.

_Cos all of the stars  
Are fading away  
Just try not to worry  
You'll see them some day_

He went wide eyed. He turned to look behind him…and right there facing him was the woman…Misty. "…Ash?" she asked. "Misty…?" the two pulled into a hug and kissed their hearts out.

For Misty knew who he was. Throughout Ash's journey through time she became more knowing of who he was and what he was doing. It was unexplainable. But all those two knew was that they were together. To them it meant that they were meant to be together.

_Take what you need  
And be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out _

Get up (get up)  
Come on (come on)  
Why you scared? (Im not scared)  
You'll never change  
What's been and gone

Cos all of the stars  
Are fading away  
Just try not to worry  
You'll see them some day  
Take what you need  
And be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out

Cos all of the stars  
Are fading away  
Just try not to worry  
You'll see them some day  
Take what you need  
And be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out

Were all of us stars  
Were fading away  
Just try not to worry  
You'll see us some day  
Just take what you need  
And be on your way  
And stop crying your heart out  
Stop crying your heart out

_Stop crying your heart out  
Stop crying your heart out…_

("Stop Crying Your Heart Out" by Oasis)

**Yay! The end! It's finally over. This story turned out a little better than expected. Yet somewhat a little bit of a disappointment to me. I guess I think that cause I thought I could do more. But hopefully this story was good enough to keep you reading till the end. And hopefully you can look for more stories from me. And now go watch the movie I got this idea from "The Butterfly Effect." Until next time… 'I'll see you again'**


End file.
